Part 840

Brown Bess, the old regulation flintlock smoothbore musket, with bronzed barrel, formerly used in the British army. -- Brown bread (a) Dark colored bread; esp. a kind made of unbolted wheat flour, sometimes called in the United States Graham bread. "He would mouth with a beggar though she smelt brown bread and garlic." Shak. (b) Dark colored bread made of rye meal and Indian meal, or of wheat and rye or Indian; rye and Indian bread. [U.S.] -- Brown coal, wood coal. See Lignite. -- Brown hematite or Brown iron ore (Min.), the hydrous iron oxide, limonite, which has a brown streak. See Limonite. -- Brown holland. See under Holland. -- Brown paper, dark colored paper, esp. coarse wrapping paper, made of unbleached materials. -- Brown spar (Min.), a ferruginous variety of dolomite, in part identical with ankerite. -- Brown stone. See Brownstone. -- Brown stout, a strong kind of porter or malt liquor. -- Brown study, a state of mental abstraction or serious reverie. W. Irving.

Brown, n. A dark color inclining to red or yellow, resulting from the mixture of red and black, or of red, black, and yellow; a tawny, dusky hue.

Brown, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Browned (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Browning.] 1. To make brown or dusky.

A trembling twilight o'er welkin moves, Browns the dim void and darkens deep the groves. Barlow.

2. To make brown by scorching slightly; as, to brown meat or flour.

3. To give a bright brown color to, as to gun barrels, by forming a thin coat of oxide on their surface. Ure.

Brown, v. i. To become brown.

Brown"back` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) The dowitcher or red-breasted snipe. See Dowitcher.

Brown" bill` (&?;). [Brown + bill cutting tool.] A bill or halberd of the 16th and 17th centuries. See 4th Bill.

Many time, but for a sallet, my brainpan had been cleft with a brown bill. Shak.

The black, or as it is sometimes called, the brown bill, was a kind of halberd, the cutting part hooked like a woodman's bill, from the back of which projected a spike, and another from the head. Grose.

Brown"i*an (&?;), a. Pertaining to Dr. Robert Brown, who first demonstrated (about 1827) the commonness of the motion described below.

Brownian movement, the peculiar, rapid, vibratory movement exhibited by the microscopic particles of substances when suspended in water or other fluids.

Brown"ie (&?;), n. [So called from its supposed tawny or swarthy color.] An imaginary good- natured spirit, who was supposed often to perform important services around the house by night, such as thrashing, churning, sweeping. [Scot.]

Brown"ing, n. 1. The act or operation of giving a brown color, as to gun barrels, etc.

2. (Masonry) A smooth coat of brown mortar, usually the second coat, and the preparation for the finishing coat of plaster.

Brown"ish, a. Somewhat brown.

Brown"ism (&?;), n. (Eccl. Hist.) The views or teachings of Robert Brown of the Brownists. Milton.

Brown"ism, n. (Med.) The doctrines of the Brunonian system of medicine. See Brunonian.

Brown"ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Robert Brown, of England, in the 16th century, who taught that every church is complete and independent in itself when organized, and consists of members meeting in one place, having full power to elect and depose its officers.

Brown"ist, n. (Med.) One who advocates the Brunonian system of medicine.

Brown"ness, n. The quality or state of being brown.

Now like I brown (O lovely brown thy hair); Only in brownness beauty dwelleth there. Drayton.

Brown"stone` (&?;), n. A dark variety of sandstone, much used for building purposes.

Brown" thrush" (&?;). (Zoöl.) A common American singing bird (Harporhynchus rufus), allied to the mocking bird; -- also called brown thrasher.

Brown"wort` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A species of figwort or Scrophularia (S. vernalis), and other species of the same genus, mostly perennials with inconspicuous coarse flowers.

Brown"y (&?;), a. Brown or, somewhat brown. "Browny locks." Shak.

Brow"post` (&?;), n. (Carp.) A beam that goes across a building.