Dictionary

embrown en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɛm-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /əmˈbɹaʊn/ (General-American)
• /ɛm-/ (General-American)
• /ɪmˈbɹaʊn/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

PIE word *h₁én From em- (variant of en- (prefix with the sense ‘to bring to a certain condition or state’)) + brown (“having a brown colour”, adjective). Cognates * French embrunir * Italian imbrunire

Meanings

1. (also, figuratively, literary, poetic, transitive) To make (something) brown; to brown.
   • His fair hair waved long and freely over a white and unwrinkled forehead: the life of a camp and the suns of Italy had but little embrowned his clear and healthful complexion, which retained much of the bloom of youth. 1835, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “The Knight of Provençe, and His Proposal”, in Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes. […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book II (The Revolution), page 184:
   • The heat embrowneth the harvests. They fall under the edge of the sickle. 1825, “Chapter XXXIX. Intitled, The Troops; Revealed at Mecca.”, in George Sale, transl., The Koran, Commonly Called the Alcoran of Mohammed, Translated into English Immediately from the Original Arabic; […], new edition, volume II, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Thomas Tegg, […], footnote ‡, page 327:
   • For blight of the season embrowneth the bloom, / And time winnows falshood, like chaff, as it flies: […] 1799, George Davies Harley, “The Reproof”, in Ballad Stories, Sonnets, &c, volume I, Bath, Somerset: […] R. Cruttwell; and sold by C[harles] Dilly, […], and W[illiam] Miller, […], →OCLC, stanza 2, page 22:
   • For time ſhall with his ready pencil ſtand; / Retouch your figures with his ripening hand; / Mellow your colors, and imbrown the teint; / Add every grace, which time alone can grant; / To future ages ſhall your fame convey, / And give more beauties than he takes away. a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “Epistle the Fourteenth. To Sir Godfrey Kneller, Principal Painter to His Majesty.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 201:
   • The mountain-moss by scorching skies imbrown'd, […] 1812, Lord Byron, “Canto I”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, stanza XIX, page 17:
   • He was looking quite a different man to what I had left him; embrowned, sparkles in his eyes, so languid before. 1863 November – 1864 February, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, “Cousin Phillis. Part II.”, in Cousin Phillis. And Other Tales. […], illustrated edition, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1865, →OCLC, page 66:
   • His features were small, well formed, and delicate, though deeply embrowned by the eastern sun, and terminated by a flowing and curled black beard, which seemed trimmed with peculiar care. 1825 June 22, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in Tales of the Crusaders. […], volume III (The Talisman), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 31:
2. (also, figuratively, literary, poetic, transitive) To make (something) dark or dusky (“having a rather dark shade of colour”); to brown, to darken.
   • And thy dark Pencil, Midnight! darker ſtill / In Melancholy dipt, embrovvns the vvhole. 1743, [Edward Young], “Night the Fifth. The Relapse. […]”, in The Complaint. Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality. Night the Fifth, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […], and sold by M[ary] Cooper […], →OCLC, page 11:
   • […] Nature boon / Powrd forth profuſe on Hill and Dale and Plaine, / Both where the morning Sun firſt warmly ſmote / The open field, and where the unpierc't ſhade / Imbround the noontide Bowrs: […] 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 242–246:
   • No deeper clouds the grove embrowned, / No nether thunders shook the ground; […] 1813, Walter Scott, “Canto Third”, in Rokeby; a Poem, Edinburgh: […] [F]or John Ballantyne and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., […], →OCLC, stanza IX, page 115:
3. (also, figuratively, intransitive, literary, poetic) To become or make brown; to brown.
   • [O]n the board diſplay'd / The ready meal before Ulyſſes lay'd. / (VVith flour imbrovvn'd) next mingled vvine yet nevv, / And luſcious as the Bee's nectareous devv: […] 1725, Homer, “Book XIV”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 238, lines 91–94:
   • A greater opening ofttimes hedges up / With but a little forkful of his thorns / The villager, what time the grape imbrowns, […] 1867, Dante Alighieri, “Canto IV”, in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, transl., The Divine Comedy, volume II (Purgatorio), Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 21, lines 19–21:
4. (also, figuratively, intransitive, literary, poetic) To become or make dark or dusky; to brown, to darken.
   • Under theſe Auſpices, Jamblicus compoſed the Book juſt before mentioned, Of the Mytſeries; meaning the profound and recondite Doctrines of the Egyptian Philoſophy: VVhich, at Bottom, is nothing elſe but the genuine Greek Philoſophy, imbrovvned vvith the Fanaticiſm of Eatſern Cant. 1738, William Warburton, “Section IV”, in The Divine Legation of Moses […], volume I, London: […] Fletcher Gyles, […], →OCLC, book III, page 405:
   • Now was the day departing, and the air, / Imbrown'd with shadows, from their toils releas'd / All animals on earth; […] 1814, Dante Alighieri, “Canto II”, in H[enry] F[rancis] Cary, transl., The Vision; or, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, of Dante Alighieri. […], volume I (Hell), London: […] [J. Barfield] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 5, lines 1–3:

Forms

Deriveds

embrownment · embrowning · embrowned

Relateds

brown · brownish · browning · brownify

Synonyms

brownify · brownify

Translations (9)

et pruunistama (to make (something) brown — see also brown) · pl pociemniać (to make (something) brown — see also brown) · fi ruskistua (to become or make brown — see also brown) · eo brunigi (to make (something) brown — see also brown) · fr embrunir (to become or make brown — see also brown) · fi ruskistaa (to make (something) brown — see also brown) · it imbrunìre (to become or make brown — see also brown) · fr embrunir (to make (something) brown — see also brown) · it imbrunìre (to make (something) brown — see also brown)