brawny

English

Etymology

From Middle English brawny; equivalent to brawn +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɔːni/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

brawny (comparative brawnier, superlative brawniest)

1. Characterized by brawn; muscular, thewy; strong.

   Rattler was a big, brawny fellow, and he stepped up in front of me, rolling up his sleeves.

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:

     As he stood on one side, for a minute or so, unbuttoning his waist-coat and breeches, her fat, brawny thighs hung down

   • 1959, David P. Morgan, editor, Steam's Finest Hour, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 68:

     Once the pressure of the comparatively low-drivered J's was raised to 300 pounds, they ranked as the brawniest of 4-8-4's with a tractive force of 80,000 pounds.

2. Calloused; hardened.

Derived terms

• brawnily
• brawniness

Translations

characterized by brawn

• Bulgarian: силен (bg) (silen), мускулест (bg) (muskulest)
• Danish: kraftig (da), muskuløs
• Dutch: gespierd (nl)
• Finnish: lihaksikas (fi)
• French: balèze (fr), balaise (fr)
• German: muskulös (de), muskelbepackt (de)
• Irish: matánach
• Italian: muscoloso (it)
• Latin: torōsus
• Middle English: brawny
• Portuguese: musculoso (pt)
• Russian: мускули́стый (ru) (muskulístyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: tomadach, làidir
• Swedish: muskulös (sv), atletisk (sv), biffig (sv)

Middle English

Etymology

From brawne +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrau̯niː/

Adjective

brawny

1. muscular, muscly
2. (rare) fleshy (of fruit)

Descendants

• English: brawny

References

• “braunī, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.