sienna

[ see-en-uh ]

/ siˈɛn ə /

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noun

a ferruginous earth used as a yellowish-brown pigment (raw sienna ) or, after roasting in a furnace, as a reddish-brown pigment (burnt sienna ).

the color of such a pigment.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of sienna

1750–60; <Italian (terra di) Sien(n)a (earth of) Siena

Words nearby sienna

siemens, Siem Reap, Siena, Sienese, Sienkiewicz, sienna, Siepi, sierozem, sierra, Sierra Blanca Peak, Sierra Leone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sienna in a sentence

Also breaking: apparently, Delevingne and Sienna Miller are “schnoystering,” whatever that means.
Donald Sterling’s Former Mistress Makes the “Paparazzi Shield” Chic; Cara Delevingne Has Self-Grooming Eyebrows|The Fashion Beast Team|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dr. Sienna helpfully tells him “We see these occasionally in the medical field.”
Fact-Checking Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’: 10 Mistakes, False Statements, and Oversimplifications|Noah Charney|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They came onto the scene in 2004, on the feet of boho-chic English style icons Sienna Miller and Kate Moss.
Have Ugg Boots Made a Tepid Return to Fashion?|Misty White Sidell|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Those targeted included Princes William and Harry, as well as senior politicians and the actors Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller.
Sun Editor Calls Ethics Inquiry 'Ludicrous'|Charlotte Edwardes|January 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Actress Sienna Miller described paparazzi spitting at her to provoke a reaction they could photograph.
Murdoch’s News of the World Sins Exposed by Leveson Inquiry|Brian Cathcart|November 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He will return about the 10th of October to fetch me, and we all go on to Sienna, to my mother.
The Child of Pleasure|Gabriele D'Annunzio
The female must content herself with burnt sienna back-covering which comes down onto her ochre-coloured belly.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont
This may be colored with anything desired, like burnt sienna, annatto, or other coloring material.
Practical Mechanics for Boys|J. S. Zerbe
One day when Saint Catherine of Sienna was kneeling in the fuller's house, a dove as white as snow perched on the child's head.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
Some plain wooden armchairs were set against the walls that had been rough plastered and washed with burnt sienna brown.
Flamsted quarries|Mary E. Waller

British Dictionary definitions for sienna

sienna

/ (sɪˈɛnə) /

noun

a natural earth containing ferric oxide used as a yellowish-brown pigment when untreated (raw sienna) or a reddish-brown pigment when roasted (burnt sienna)

the colour of this pigmentSee also burnt sienna

Word Origin for sienna

C18: from Italian terra di Siena earth of Siena

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