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tawny

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tawny¹

  • /ˈtɔːni/ UK
  • /ˈtɔni/ US
  • /ˈtɑ-/ US

Rhymes with -ɔːni

Where it comes from

The adjective is derived from Middle English tauni, tawne (“having a brownish-orange colour”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman taune, tawné, and Old French tané, tanné, tanney (“of a tan colour”), an adjective use of the past participle of taner (“to turn hide into leather, tan”), from tan (“pulped oak bark used to tan leather, tanbark”), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰnwos, *(s)dʰonu (“fir”).

The -aw- spelling (also -au- in Middle English) seems to have been due to the pronunciation of Old French tané.

The verb is derived from the adjective.

Cognates

* Breton tann

* Medieval Latin tannāre (“to dye a tawny color; to tan”)

* Old Irish caerthann (“rowan”)

adjective tawnier · tawniest · tawney

  1. Of a light brown to brownish orange colour; orangey brown tinged with gold. And if any of your nation attempte once to ſtoppe me in my iorney now towards Calais, […] I in my defence ſhall colour and make red your tawny ground with the effuſion of chriſtian bloud: […]

    Similar: fulvid, fulvous, olivaster, subfuscous, swart, swartish, swarty, brownish, browny, brunneous, brunnescent

verb tawnies · tawnying · tawnied

  1. transitive To cause (someone or something) to have a light brown to brownish orange colour; to tan, to tawn. So many friends, their friendſhips daily breake, / That fevve are faithfull, if that fevve be any: / The Sunne ſo ſoone, the painted face vvill tavvny.
  2. intransitive To become a light brown to brownish orange colour; to tan, to tawn. The countenance alone bespoke the years and the cares of John M‘Whirter. The deep wrinkled brow—the cheek plaited, and tawnied in the sun and the frosts of the north— […]

tawny²

  • /ˈtɔːni/ UK
  • /ˈtɔni/ US
  • /ˈtɑ-/ US

Rhymes with -ɔːni

Where it comes from

From Middle English tauni, tawne (“brownish-orange colour; cloth of this colour; sweet beverage of this colour”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman tawné, and Old French tané, tanné, tanney (“tan colour; cloth of this colour”), from tané (verb): see further at etymology 1.

Sense 2.1 (“Eurasian bullfinch”) is due to the brown colour of the female.

noun tawnies · tawnys

  1. countable, uncountable A light brown to brownish orange colour. Neere to Canuſia, the ſheepe be deepe yellovv or tavvnie; and about Tarentum, they are of a brovvne and duſkiſh colour.
  2. countable, specifically, uncountable Synonym of tenné (“a rarely-used tincture of orange or bright brown”). [T]he Herehaught [herald] muſt have a ſinguler reſpect to the face of him that ſhould haue the Armes, vvhere he ſhal vvel perceiue in vvhat ſeaſõ of the yere, his ovvn complexion vvill ſerue him to do beſt ſeruice in: […] If in Somer, either a Hound or Salamandra, or ſome part of them, of the colour

    Similar: tenné

  3. countable, uncountable Something of a light brown or brownish orange colour (particularly if it has the word tawny in its name). Iohn VVittie his great tavvny Gilloflovver is for forme of grovving, in leafe and flovver altogether like vnto the ordinary tavvny, the flovver onely, becauſe it is the faireſt and greateſt that any other hath nourſed vp, maketh the difference, as alſo that it is of a faire deepe ſcarlet colour. The
  4. countable, uncountable The common bullfinch or Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula). TAWNY. A bullfinch. Somerset.
  5. countable, uncountable In full tawny port: a sweet, fortified port wine which is blended and matured in wooden casks. Tawny is the most versatile Port style. The best tawnies are good-quality wines that have faded to a pale garnet or brownish red color during long wood aging. […] We consider 10- and 20-year-old tawnies the best buys; the older ones aren't always worth the extra bucks.
  6. countable, obsolete, uncountable A fabric of a light brown to brownish orange colour. [N]o perſone, or perſones, occupiyng the ſeate of diẽg, ſhal die, or altre into colours, or cauſe to be died, or altred into colours, any wollen clothes, as broune blewes, pieukes, tawnies, or violettes, except the ſame wollẽ clothes be perfeictly boiled, greined or madered vpon the woade, & ſhot wi
  7. countable, obsolete, uncountable A person with skin of a brown colour. The Tavvnies among vvhom vve came, have VVatered our Soyl, vvith the Blood, of many Hundred of our Inhabitants.
  8. countable, uncountable Tawny frogmouth.
  9. countable, uncountable Tawny owl.

Translations

Every language

adj of a light brown to brownish orange colour

Españolbeige, leonado, pardo, trigueño, musco (disused), musgo
हिन्दीपिंग piṅg
Portuguêsbege, ocre, pardo, trigueiro, ruço, burro quando foge
Françaisfauve
Deutschgelbbraun, lohfarben
Italianofocato, fulvo, leonado, lionato, ocra
Русскийрыжева́то-кори́чневый ryževáto-koríčnevyj
Tiếng Việtngăm
العربيةآدَم ʔādam, أَمْغَر ʔamḡar, أَشْقَر ʔašqar, أَشْهَل ʔašhal, أَشْعَل ʔašʕal

noun light brown to brownish orange colour

Españolleón, pardo león, color leonado
한국어다갈색 dagalsaek
日本語茶褐色 chakasshoku
中文茶褐色 cháhèsè, cháhésè, 黃褐色 /黄褐色 huánghèsè
Françaisfauve
Italianotenné
Românălignicolor

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MLA

"tawny." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tawny. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

tawny. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tawny

Chicago

"tawny." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tawny.

BibTeX
@misc{tawny_2026,
  title = {tawny},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tawny},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}