brown

English

/bɹaʊn/

noun
Definitions
  • (countable) A colour like that of chocolate or coffee.
  • (snooker) One of the colour balls used in snooker, with a value of 4 points.
  • (uncountable) black Black tar heroin.
  • (slang) A copper coin.
  • A brown horse or other animal.
  • (sometimes capitalised) A person of Middle Eastern, Latino or South Asian descent; a brown-skinned person; someone of mulatto or biracial appearance.
  • (entomology) Any of various nymphalid butterflies of subfamily (formerly the family ).
  • (entomology) Any of certain species of nymphalid butterflies of subfamily , such as those of the genera and .
  • (informal) A brown trout (Salmo trutta).

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English broun inherited from Old English brūn (brown, dusky, dark) inherited from Proto-Germanic *brūnaz (brown, grey) inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (pierce, strike, brown, bore, dig, cut, carve, grey, rub, split).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*bʰerH-

Gloss

pierce, strike, brown, bore, dig, cut, carve, grey, rub, split

Concept
Semantic Field

Basic actions and technology

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

褐

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms