To camouflage is to disguise, and a camouflage is that which disguises. Like the leaf-colored and patterned uniforms worn by soldiers who want to blend in with their natural surroundings.
Camouflage evolved from the French camoufler, which was slang for “to disguise.” Camoufler itself most likely comes from camouflet, meaning “puff of smoke” — a puff of smoke that makes it hard to see things. Camouflaged clothing certainly hides hunters from their prey, but the word can also be used in a more figurative sense, as in camouflaging criticism by veiling it as a backhanded compliment.
