/bɹɔːn/, /bɹɔn/, /bɹɑn/
OriginFrom Middle English brawne, from Old French braon (“slice of meat, fleshy part, buttock”), from Frankish *brādon, *brādan, accusative form of *brādō (“roasted meat, ham”), from Proto-Germanic *brēdô (“meat, roast”), of uncertain further origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“to burn, heat”).
Akin to Old High German brāto (“tender meat”) (German Braten (“roast”)), Old English brǣde, brǣd (“flesh, meat”), Old Norse bráð (“raw meat”).
- countable, uncountableStrong muscles or lean flesh, especially of the arm, leg or thumb.
- countable, uncountablePhysical strength; muscularity.
“The builders at the site had more brawn than brain.”
“The man was a bruiser, the sort who'd learned his science in tavern brawls. Given his size and lack of agility, he relied on his brawn to win. In any wrestling match, Crowley would triumph easily.”
“The two men were husky, picked for their brawn by the little man who sauntered into the room.”
- British, countable, uncountableHead cheese; a terrine made from the head of a pig or calf; originally boar's meat.
“Now if your Majesty would have our bristles
To bind your mortar with, or fill our colons
With rich blood, or make brawn out of our gristles,
In policy—ask else your royal Solons—
You ought to give us ”
“It was brawn and shape for high tea.”
- UK, countable, dialectal, uncountableA boar.
“And loud as brawns wer [they] snoring,”
“THE village of Brancepath, pleasantly situated at the distance of four miles and three- quarters south-west by west of Durham, is said to have derived its name (a corruption of Brawn's-path) from a br”
- transitiveMake fat, especially of a boar.
- intransitiveBecome fat, especially of a boar.
Formsbrawns(plural) · brawns(present, singular, third-person) · brawning(participle, present) · brawned(participle, past) · brawned(past) · Brawns(plural)