brawn
[ brawn ]
/ brɔn /
noun
strong, well-developed muscles.
muscular strength.
Chiefly British.
- a boar's or swine's flesh, especially when boiled and pickled.
- headcheese.
Nearby words
Origin of brawn
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
SYNONYMS FOR brawn
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Examples from the Web for brawn
British Dictionary definitions for brawn
brawn
/ (brɔːn) /
noun
strong well-developed muscles
physical strength, esp as opposed to intelligence
British a seasoned jellied loaf made from the head and sometimes the feet of a pig or calf
Word Origin for brawn
C14: from Old French braon slice of meat, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German brāto, Old English brǣd flesh
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for brawn
brawn
late 13c., from Old French braon "fleshy or muscular part, buttock," from Frankish *brado "ham, roast" or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *bred-on- (cf. Old High German brato "tender meat," German Braten "roast," Old Norse brað "raw meat," Old English bræd "flesh"), from PIE *bhre- "burn, heat," from root *bhreue- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn" (see brew (v.)). The original sense is "piece of meat suitable for roasting." "The specific sense 'boar's flesh' is exclusively of English development, and characteristic of English habits" [OED].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper