bruin en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈbɹuːɪn/ (UK)
Etymology
From Middle Dutch bruun (“brown”) via William Caxton's 1485 translation of a Dutch version of the legend of Reynard the Fox. Bruin is the bear, named for his brown color. Doublet of brown.
Meanings
-
A folk name for a bear, especially the brown bear, Ursus arctos.
The mother sought the one gone / astray, for the lost she longs: / she ran great swamps as a wolf / trod the wilds as a bruin / waters as an otter roamed […].
1989, Elias Lönnrot, translated by Keith Bosley, The Kalevala, section XVII:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bruins | Number=Plur | lexicographic |