Russet (/ˈruːfəs/) is a color that can be described as reddish-brown or reddish-brown, like rust or rusty iron. The first recorded use of roux as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color was also recorded earlier in 1527 as a diagnostic color of urine. The word “rufous” comes from the Latin rufus, meaning “red”, and is used as an adjective in the names of many animals, especially birds, to describe the color of their skin, fur or plumage.