taw·ny

[taw-nee] adjective, taw·ni·er, taw·ni·est, noun
adjective
1.
of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color.
noun
2.
a shade of brown tinged with yellow; dull yellowish brown.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English tauny < Anglo-French taune < Middle French tané, past participle of taner to tan

taw·ni·ly, adverb
taw·ni·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
tawny or tawney (ˈtɔːnɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a.  a light brown to brownish-orange colour
 b.  (as adjective): tawny port
 
[C14: from Old French tané, from taner to tan1]
 
tawney or tawney
 
n
 
[C14: from Old French tané, from taner to tan1]
 
'tawniness or tawney
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Tawny is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tawny
"tan-colored," late 14c., from Anglo-Fr. tauné "associated with the brownish-yellow of tanned leather," from O.Fr. tané (12c.), pp. of taner "to tan hides," from M.L. tannare (see tan).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

tawny definition

[ˈtɔni]
  1. mod.
    excellent. : Who is throwing this tawny party anyway?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Usually a tawny-light brownish color, they may also be gray or reddish.
Reflecting pools brimmed to overflowing, and already the tawny hills looked
  greener.
Coyote yelps ring from the shadows of a giant saguaro as brilliant sunlight
  slips down tawny mountain slopes.
The lion is drawn with storm clouds overhead, gusty swirls of wind and
  splatters of rain surrounding his tawny brawn.
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