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definitions

brownshirt

[broun-shurt]

noun (often initial capital letter)

a Nazi.
a Nazi storm trooper.

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Origin of brownshirt

1930–35; brown + shirt so called from the color of the shirt worn as part of the uniform
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for brown shirt

Brown Shirt

noun

(in Nazi Germany) a storm trooper
a member of any fascist party or group
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for brown shirt

Brown Shirt

n.

generic term for "Nazi, fascist," especially of the thuggish sort, 1934, originally (1922) in reference to the German Sturmabteilung, Nazi militia founded 1921; they were called Brown Shirts in English because of their uniforms.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper