English
brown
Brown comes from Middle English broun ‘dark, dull, murky (in color)’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *brūnaz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brūnazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*brūnreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150brūn‘brown’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500broun‘dark’
- Englishearliest quotation 1807brown
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brūnazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*brūnreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150brūn‘brown’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500broun‘dark’
- Englishearliest quotation 1807brown
Earliest quotation: 1807, Joel Barlow: “A trembling twilight o'er the welkin moves, / Browns…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH-
bone, boring, berry, bore, interfere, beaver, 12 more
through Proto-Germanic *brūnaz
through Proto-West Germanic *brūn
Today it means
noun A colour like that of chocolate or coffee.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *brūnaz / brown