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roan

American  
[rohn] / roʊn /

adjective

  1. (chiefly of horses) of the color sorrel, chestnut, or bay, sprinkled with gray or white.

  2. prepared from leather of this color.


noun

  1. a horse or other animal with a roan coat.

  2. a roan color.

  3. a soft, flexible sheepskin leather, used in bookbinding, often made to imitate morocco.

roan British  
/ rəʊn /

adjective

  1. (of a horse) having a bay ( red roan ), chestnut ( strawberry roan ), or black ( blue roan ) coat sprinkled with white hairs

"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

noun

  1. a horse having such a coat

  2. a soft unsplit sheepskin leather with a close tough grain, used in bookbinding, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of roan

1520–30; < Middle French < Old Spanish roano < Germanic; compare Gothic rauths red

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Mr. Ramaphosa is an avid game breeder, and Phala Phala bills itself as a haven for conservation and top quality animals, including white impala, roan antelope and golden wildebeest.

From New York Times Jun. 10, 2022

At Red Cliffs Lodge near Moab, I rode a big, red roan horse named Little Joe on a three-hour trail ride through the valley where the 1950 movie “Rio Grande” was filmed.

From Washington Post Aug. 26, 2021

He called the servant man to go, Saddled the dappled roan, And he rode to her father’s house that night, Knocked on the door alone.

From The New Yorker May 13, 2019

He drew attention from his first day on the job, when he mounted a roan gelding to ride across Washington’s National Mall to the Department of Interior.

From Washington Times Dec. 16, 2018

Ellidyr remained aloof from them, stretched on the ground at the hooves of his roan.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

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