tawny

[ taw-nee ]
See synonyms for: tawnytawnies on Thesaurus.com

adjective,taw·ni·er, taw·ni·est.
  1. of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color.

noun
  1. a shade of brown tinged with yellow; dull yellowish brown.

Origin of tawny

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English tauny, from Anglo-French taune, from Middle French tané, past participle of taner “to tan”; see tan1
  • Sometimes taw·ney .

Other words from tawny

  • taw·ni·ly, adverb
  • taw·ni·ness, noun

Words Nearby tawny

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tawny in a sentence

  • That instant its tawny face scarred with black emerged from behind green leaves.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • Here and there an oak stood, fully green, among the tawny reds and golds of a flaming woodland.

    Marriage la mode | Mrs. Humphry Ward
  • Underneath wisps of tawny hair, rather Mephistophelian, were clear-blue eyes, brilliant and sharp as a brigands.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • Both men and women had long hair, ranging in color from black to tawny, and very clean and glistening.

    The Stars, My Brothers | Edmond Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for tawny

tawny

tawney

/ (ˈtɔːnɪ) /


noun
    • a light brown to brownish-orange colour

    • (as adjective): tawny port

Origin of tawny

1
C14: from Old French tané, from taner to tan 1

Derived forms of tawny

  • tawniness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012