brown
brown
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "brown" is /braʊn/.
/braʊn/
Word Form Variations
Adjective: brown (singular, uncountable, comparative: browner, superlative: brownest)
Noun: brown (singular, countable), browns (plural, countable)
Verb: brown (base form), browns (third-person singular present), browning (present participle), browned (past tense, past participle)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition: Of a color resembling that of earth, wood, or coffee, typically a composite color made by combining red, yellow, and blue.
Synonyms: tan, beige, sepia, tawny, dun, russet, auburn, chestnut
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for colors, but can be contrasted with) bright, vibrant, colorful, pale, white, black, blue, green, red, yellow
Noun
Definition 1: A color in the range between yellow and red, especially a dark, dull shade of this color.
Synonyms: tan, beige, sepia, tawny, dun, russet, auburn, chestnut
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for colors, but can be contrasted with) white, black, blue, green, red, yellow
Definition 2: (Often plural) Clothes or items of a brown color.
Synonyms: earth tones, neutrals (in a fashion context)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Verb
Definition 1: To make something become brown, typically by cooking or exposure to heat, often to achieve a desired texture or color.
Synonyms: sear, fry, toast, grill, bake, crisp, caramelize, gratinate
Antonyms: whiten, bleach, lighten, cool, chill
Definition 2: To become brown, as from exposure to sunlight, air, or a cooking process.
Synonyms: tan, ripen (for fruit), oxidize (for some foods), rust (for metals)
Antonyms: fade, lighten, whiten, remain fresh
Examples of Use
Books: "The little house was swallowed up in the brown dusk. She stood watching until it was only a blur in the gathering darkness." (Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits, 1982)
Newspapers: "Parts of the region are bracing for a dry spell, with forecasters warning of increasingly brown landscapes." ( The Guardian)
Online Publications: "How to brown butter perfectly for a nutty, rich flavor in your baked goods." ( Serious Eats)
Entertainment - Film: In the film Coco (2017), the main character Miguel wears a brown hoodie for much of the story.
Entertainment - Television: "The detective surveyed the scene, noticing the peculiar brown stain on the carpet." (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Episode "Burned", Season 25, March 2024)
Entertainment - Music: "And when I met you, in the summer, you had brown hair and such a warm smile." (Lyrics from a popular song, artist and title omitted for brevity)
Entertainment - Video Games: In Minecraft, players can craft brown dye from cocoa beans. (Mojang Studios)
General Public Discourse: "I need to get some new brown shoes to match this outfit." (Heard in a retail store)
10 Quotes Using Brown
"When you're out of options, you're out of options. There's no point in crying over spilled brown." (Mike Tyson)
"There are a thousand shades of brown in a single leaf." (Virginia Woolf)
"I look out the window and I see the world, and it's a brown world. And I see a lot of people in it, and they're all in a hurry." (Charles Bukowski)
"Her eyes were the color of warm brown sugar, and her smile could melt butter." (E.L. James)
"Everything is a shade of brown in the desert, but if you look closely, you can find green." (Khaled Hosseini)
"He was a quiet man, with brown eyes that saw everything." (Ernest Hemingway)
"I love the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, a rich, dark brown." (Oprah Winfrey)
"The world is not black and white; it's a beautiful, complex shade of brown." (Attributed to various sources)
"And the river, a slow, brown ribbon, flowed on toward the sea." (John Steinbeck)
"The old house stood silent, its paint peeling, a faded brown against the grey sky." (Harper Lee)
Etymology
The word "brown" has a long and interesting history, tracing its roots back thousands of years!
It comes from the Old English word "brūn," which was first recorded around the year 1000. In its earliest use, "brūn" didn't just mean the specific color we think of as brown today. It was a broader term for any dark or dusky shade of color. It also sometimes carried a sense of "shining" or "bright," especially when referring to polished metal.
Before Old English, "brūn" developed from the Proto-Germanic word "brūnaz," which also meant "dark" or "dusky," and often included the idea of something being "shiny."
Going even further back, the ultimate ancestor of "brown" is believed to be the Proto-Indo-European root "bher-" (or "bʰerH-"). This ancient root had a meaning related to "bright" or "brown," with the idea of "polished wooden objects" possibly connecting the two senses. This means that the concept of a color like brown has been around in language for a very, very long time! Over time, the "shining" aspect of the word largely faded in English, leaving us with its primary meaning as a specific color.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Brown
Brown-nose: To flatter someone excessively in order to gain favor.
Brown study: A state of deep, serious thought; a reverie.
Brown out: To lose power or electricity partially, resulting in dimmed lights rather than a complete blackout.
Do it up brown: To do something thoroughly or completely; to do a good job.
Brown goods: A term, primarily used in the UK, for domestic electronic appliances such as televisions, radios, and audio equipment (as opposed to "white goods" like refrigerators and washing machines).
Brown-bag it: To bring a packed lunch to work or school rather than buying food.
Brownie points: Imaginary points awarded for doing something good, in the hope of gaining favor.
To be browned off: (British informal) To be annoyed or irritated.
In a brown envelope: (Often implying something secretive or illicit) A payment or document passed discreetly, usually money.
Give someone a brown eye: (Slang, vulgar) To moon someone.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of brown from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
