tawny

[ taw-nee ]

/ ˈtɔ ni /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tawny ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, taw·ni·er, taw·ni·est.

of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color.

noun

a shade of brown tinged with yellow; dull yellowish brown.

Nearby words

tawdry, tawheowheo, tawhiri, tawie, tawney, tawny, tawny owl, tawny pipit, tawpie, taws, tawse

Origin of tawny

1350–1400; Middle English tauny < Anglo-French taune < Middle French tané, past participle of taner to tan¹

Related forms

taw·ni·ly, adverbtaw·ni·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tawny

I asked, watching buzzards, white-backed vultures, and tawny eagles corkscrew skyward on thermals.
Walking With Wildebeests: Exploring the Serengeti on Foot|Joanna Eede|July 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Curious rivulets of tawny brown ran here and there as far as the eye could reach.
Francisco Our Little Argentine Cousin|Eva Cannon Brooks
Now the snow and ice were gone, and the tawny hue of the prairie was tinged with that perfect emerald of budding spring.
The Watchers of the Plains|Ridgewell Cullum
At last he made out a long, tawny shape on a low-lying bough of a tree at the very edge of the forest.
The Free Rangers|Joseph A. Altsheler

In pain and desperation I flew at another of the tawny devils.
The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete|George Meredith
Richard was quite a king among them, with his square shoulders, and his tawny moustache, and his blue eyes.
Richard Vandermarck|Miriam Coles Harris

British Dictionary definitions for tawny

tawny

tawney

/ (ˈtɔːnɪ) /

noun

a light brown to brownish-orange colour
(as adjective)tawny port

Derived Forms

tawniness, noun

Word Origin for tawny

C14: from Old French tané, from taner to tan 1

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