brawn

[ brawn ]

noun

1. strong, well-developed muscles.
2. muscular strength.

   Synonyms: sturdiness, robustness, brawniness, power, might, muscle

3. Chiefly British.
   1. a boar's or swine's flesh, especially when boiled and pickled.
   2. headcheese.

brawn

/ brɔːn /

noun

1. strong well-developed muscles
2. physical strength, esp as opposed to intelligence
3. a seasoned jellied loaf made from the head and sometimes the feet of a pig or calf

Word History and Origins

Origin of brawn¹

1275–1325; Middle English brawne < Old French braon slice of flesh ( Provençal bradon ) < Germanic; compare German Braten joint of meat, akin to Old English brǣd flesh

Word History and Origins

Origin of brawn¹

C14: from Old French braon slice of meat, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German brāto , Old English brǣd flesh

Example Sentences

Rugby’s seven-a-side format is a dazzlingly fast, shorter form of the game—emphasizing speed, risk-taking, and agility over brawn.

From Time

Although getting windows unstuck may require skill and brawn, you should be able to fix those screens with less effort.

From Washington Post

As governor of California, Schwarzenegger himself demonstrated the limits of American brawn.

From The Daily Beast

Both films prized independence at their moral centers, and made brawn a virtue.

From The Daily Beast

Founded in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Alcoa has long been a symbol of American industrial brawn.

From The Daily Beast

This is the place where automakers show off brawn, power, and sex appeal.

From The Daily Beast

He was built more like a bullock than a man, huge in bone and brawn, high in colour, and with a hand like a baby for size.

From Project Gutenberg

You are the brawn and the backbone of our free white Anglo-Saxon democracy, the flower of the world's peoples.

From Project Gutenberg

Boris went on cutting brawn upon a wooden platter with a swift and careful hand.

From Project Gutenberg

We used steam instead of the brawn of stalwart pioneers and Indians to propel the boat.

From Project Gutenberg

A pair of cold capons, a mortress of brawn, or what you will, with a flask or two of the right Gascony.

From Project Gutenberg