brawn
/bɹɔn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.76 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Head cheese; a terrine made from the head of a pig or calf; originally boar's meat.
British usage; Countable; Uncountable
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "The youth agreed to the scheme and used his brawn to begin moving pieces into place, starting by moving the planet Rann into the Thanagarian star system […]"
- "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 hog-wash and clean straw, And sties well thatched; besides it is the law!"
- "It was brawn and shape for high tea."
Etymology
From Middle English brawne, from Old French braon (“slice of meat, fleshy part, buttock”), from Frankish *brādon, *brādan, oblique forms 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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *bʰreh₁-, brawne, braon, *brādō, *brēdô, -
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bɹɔn/
- British English: /bɹɔːn/