a dark tertiary color with a yellowish or reddish hue.
Offensive. a person whose skin has a light- or dark-brown pigmentation.
adjective,brown·er,brown·est.
of the color brown.
(of animals) having skin, fur, hair, or feathers of that color.
sunburned or tanned.
Often Offensive. (of human beings) having the skin naturally pigmented a brown color.
verb (used with or without object)
to make or become brown.
to fry, sauté, or scorch slightly in cooking: to brown onions before adding them to the stew. The potatoes browned in the pan.
Verb Phrases
brown out,to subject to a brownout: The power failure browned out the southern half of the state.
Idioms for brown
browned off, Slang. angry; fed up.
do it up brown, Informal. to do thoroughly: When they entertain, they really do it up brown.
Origin of brown
before 1000; Middle English; Old English brūn; cognate with Dutch bruin,German braun,Old Norse brūnn; akin to Lithuanian brúnas brown
usage note for brown
Brown as a noun and adjective to describe people with a brownish skin color is often perceived as insulting. Historically it has been used by anthropologists and scientists as a racial and ethnic classification to describe various dark-skinned populations, as in North Africa, the Middle East, Malaysia, and South Asia. It is also a term associated with colonialism. In recent times, brown has been used of Hispanics and South Asians in North America, many of whom self-identify as brown.
browband, browbeat, Browder, browed, browlift, brown, brown alga, brown algae, brown-and-serve, brown-bag, brown bagger
Definition for brown (2 of 2)
Brown
[ broun ]
/ braʊn /
noun
Charles Brock·den[brok-duhn], /ˈbrɒk dən/, 1771–1810, U.S. novelist.
Clifford"Brownie", 1930–56, U.S. jazz trumpeter.
Edmund Gerald, Jr."Jerry", born 1938, U.S. politician: governor of California 1975–83 and since 2011.
Herbert Charles, 1912–2004, U.S. chemist, born in England: Nobel Prize 1979.
James Nathaniel"Jimmy", born 1936, U.S. football player and actor.
John"Old Brown of Osawatomie", 1800–59, U.S. abolitionist: leader of the attack at Harpers Ferry, where he was captured, tried for treason, and hanged.
Margaret Wise, 1910–52, U.S. author noted for early-childhood books.
Olympia, 1835–1926, U.S. women's-rights activist and Universalist minister: first American woman ordained by a major church.
When it has boiled hard, dip the artichokes into the batter, (each piece should be twice dipped,) and fry them brown.
Miss Leslie's Lady's New Receipt-Book|Eliza Leslie
If you want some butter it doesn't matter whether you buy it from Brown or Jones or Robinson.'
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists|Robert Tressell
Mr. Brown went over to the neighbouring settlements, and made the lads repeat to him all they knew about his son.
Life in the Clearings versus the Bush|Susanna Moodie
"I confess that this thing has completely stunned me," said Dr. Brown.
The Major|Ralph Connor
But the emotion passed in a moment, and his face was a brown mask, saying nothing.
The Young Trailers|Joseph A. Altsheler
British Dictionary definitions for brown (1 of 2)
brown
/ (braʊn) /
noun
any of various colours, such as those of wood or earth, produced by low intensity light in the wavelength range 620–585 nanometres
a dye or pigment producing these colours
brown cloth or clothingdressed in brown
any of numerous mostly reddish-brown butterflies of the genera Maniola, Lasiommata, etc, such as M. jurtina (meadow brown): family Satyridae
adjective
of the colour brown
(of bread) made from a flour that has not been bleached or bolted, such as wheatmeal or wholemeal flour
deeply tanned or sunburnt
verb
to make (esp food as a result of cooking) brown or (esp of food) to become brown
Derived forms of brown
brownishorbrowny, adjectivebrownness, noun
Word Origin for brown
Old English brūn; related to Old Norse brūnn, Old High German brūn, Greek phrunos toad, Sanskrit babhru reddish-brown
British Dictionary definitions for brown (2 of 2)
Brown
/ (braʊn) /
noun
Sir Arthur Whitten (ˈwɪt ə n). 1886–1948, British aviator who with J.W. Alcock made the first flight across the Atlantic (1919)
Ford Madox . 1821–93, British painter, associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings include The Last of England (1865) and Work (1865)
George (Alfred), Lord George-Brown. 1914–85, British Labour politician; vice-chairman and deputy leader of the Labour party (1960–70); foreign secretary 1966–68
George Mackay . 1921–96, Scottish poet, novelist, and short-story writer. His works, which include the novels Greenvoe (1972) and Magnus (1973), reflect the history and culture of Orkney
(James) Gordon . born 1951, British Labour politician; Chancellor of the Exchequer (1997–2007); prime minister (2007–10)
Herbert Charles . 1912–2004, US chemist, who worked on the compounds of boron. Nobel prize for chemistry 1979
James . 1933–2006, US soul singer and songwriter, noted for his dynamic stage performances and for his commitment to Black rights
John . 1800–59, US abolitionist leader, hanged after leading an unsuccessful rebellion of slaves at Harper's Ferry, Virginia
Lancelot, called Capability Brown . 1716–83, British landscape gardener
Michael (Stuart). born 1941, US physician: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine (1985) for work on cholesterol
Robert . 1773–1858, Scottish botanist who was the first to observe the Brownian movement in fluids