Brown — Defs

01 a. Of a dark color, of various shades between black and red or yellow.

1.
Of a dark color, of various shades between black and red or yellow.
“Cheeks brown as the oak leaves.” — Longfellow.

Phrases & compounds

Brown Bess — the old regulation flintlock smoothbore musket, with bronzed barrel, formerly used in the British army.

Brown bread — Dark colored bread; esp. a kind made of unbolted wheat flour, sometimes called in the United States Graham bread.

Brown coal — wood coal. See Lignite.

Brown hematite — the hydrous iron oxide, limonite, which has a brown streak. See Limonite.

Brown holland — See under Holland.

Brown paper — dark colored paper, esp. coarse wrapping paper, made of unbleached materials.

Brown spar — a ferruginous variety of dolomite, in part identical with ankerite.

Brown stone — See Brownstone.

Brown stout — a strong kind of porter or malt liquor.

Brown study — a state of mental abstraction or serious reverie.

02 n. A dark color inclining to red or yellow, resulting from the mixture of red and black, or of red, black, and yellow; a tawny, dusky hue.

1.
A dark color inclining to red or yellow, resulting from the mixture of red and black, or of red, black, and yellow; a tawny, dusky hue.

03 v. t. To make brown or dusky.

imp. & p. p. Browned; p. pr. & vb. n. Browning

1.
To make brown or dusky.
“A trembling twilight o'er welkin moves, Browns the dim void and darkens deep the groves.” — Barlow.
2.
To make brown by scorching slightly; as, to brown meat or flour.
3.
To give a bright brown color to, as to gun barrels, by forming a thin coat of oxide on their surface.

04 v. i. To become brown.