From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
brown
adj : of a color similar to that of wood or earth [syn:
brownish, dark-brown]
n 1: an orange of low brightness and saturation [syn:
brownness]
2: Scottish botanist who first observed the movement of small
particles in fluids now known a Brownian motion
(1773-1858) [syn: Brown, Robert Brown]
3: abolitionist who was hanged after leading an unsuccessful
raid at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (1800-1858) [syn:
Brown, John Brown]
4: a university in Rhode Island [syn: Brown University,
Brown]
v : fry in a pan until it changes color; "brown the meat in the
pan"
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Brown \Brown\, 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.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Brown \Brown\ (broun), a. [Compar. Browner; superl.
Brownest.] [OE. brun, broun, AS. br?n; akin to D. bruin,
OHG. br?n, Icel. br?nn, Sw. brun, Dan. bruun, G. braun, Lith.
brunas, Skr. babhru. [root]93, 253. Cf. Bruin, Beaver,
Burnish, Brunette.]
Of a dark color, of various shades between black and red or
yellow.
[1913 Webster]
Cheeks brown as the oak leaves. --Longfellow.
[1913 Webster]
Brown Bess, the old regulation flintlock smoothbore musket,
with bronzed barrel, formerly used in the British army.
Brown bread
(a) Dark colored bread; esp. a kind made of unbolted wheat
flour, sometimes called in the United States Graham
bread. "He would mouth with a beggar though she smelt
brown bread and garlic." --Shak.
(b) Dark colored bread made of rye meal and Indian meal, or
of wheat and rye or Indian; rye and Indian bread. [U.S.]
Brown coal, wood coal. See Lignite.
Brown hematite or Brown iron ore (Min.), 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 (Min.), 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. --W. Irving.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Brown \Brown\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Browned; p. pr. & vb. n.
Browning.]
1. To make brown or dusky.
[1913 Webster]
A trembling twilight o'er welkin moves,
Browns the dim void and darkens deep the groves.
--Barlow.
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2. To make brown by scorching slightly; as, to brown meat or
flour.
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3. To give a bright brown color to, as to gun barrels, by
forming a thin coat of oxide on their surface. --Ure.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Brown \Brown\, v. i.
To become brown.
[1913 Webster]