brown
English meaning: Brown
Definition
A colour like that of chocolate or coffee.
Example
“The browns and greens in this painting give it a nice woodsy feel.”
Another example: “Brown the onions in the pan before adding the stock.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A neutral colour word and noun. Also used as a verb ('brown the meat') in cooking and as a surname (capitalized). Forms many compounds ('dark brown', 'golden brown'). Common across everyday and culinary registers.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old English 'brun' ('dark, brown'), of Germanic origin, related to Dutch 'bruin' and German 'braun'.
Synonyms
- tan
- chestnut
- umber
- sepia
- beige
Related Words
- costal
- paler
- forewing
- thorax
- reddish
- yellowish
- underside
- blackish
- shining
- whitish
Common Collocations
- dark brown
- light brown
- golden brown
- brown bread
- reddish brown
Word Forms
brown (n/adj); browner; brownest; brown (v); browned
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
CC-licensed · free to useVideo
Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B