Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BRO'SEN, a.

Burnt. [Not used.]

BROTH, n. [brauth; Sax. broth; It. brodo; Ir. broth; Sp. brodio; Ir. bruithim, to boil. Qu. D. braaden, to roast; W. broth, a stirring or tumult.]

1. Liquor in which flesh is boiled and macerated, usually with rice and herbs, or some ingredient to give it a better relish.
2. In America, the word is often applied to foaming water, and especially to a mixture of snow and water in the highways, which is called snow-broth.

BROTH'EL, n. [A dialectical orthography of Bordel, which see.]

A house of lewdness; a house appropriated to the purposes of prostitution; a bawdy-house; a stew.

BROTH'EL-ER, n.

One that frequents brothels.

BROTH'EL-HOUSE, n.

A brothel.

BROTH'EL-RY, n.

Lewdness; obscenity. – Hall. Jonson.

BROTH'ER, n. [plur. Brǒthers or Brethren. Goth. brothar; Sax. brother or brether; Sw. and Dan. broder; D. broeder, from broeden, to brood, to breed; G. bruder; Sans. brader or bhratre; Russ. brat; Dalmatian brath; L. frater; Gr. φρατηρ, φρατωρ; Pers. بُرَادَرْ boradar; Corn. bredar; Ir. brathair; W. brawd; Sam. abrat; Fr. frère, from L. frater; Sp. frayle, a friar; It. fratello, brother, and frate, friar; Arm. breuzr. By the Dutch, it appears that this word signifies one of the brood or breed. The common plural is brothers, in the solemn style brethren is used.]

1. A human male born of the same father and mother. A male by one of the parents only is called a half-brother, or brother of the half blood. – Blackstone.
2. Any one closely united; an associate; as, a band of brothers.
3. One that resembles another in manners. He that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. – Proverbs xviii. In Scripture the term brother is applied to a kinsman by blood more remote than a son of the same parents; as in the case of Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban. Persons of the same profession call each other brother, as judges, clergy-men, professors of religion, members of societies united in a common cause, monks and the like. Kings give to each other the title of brother. Clergymen address their congregations by the title of brethren. In a more general sense, brother or brethren is used for man in general; all men being children of the same primitive ancestors, and forming one race of beings. Brother-german is a brother by the father's and mother's side, in contradistinction to a uterine brother, or by the mother only. – Encyc.

BROTH'ER-HOOD, n. [brother and hood.]

1. The state or quality of being a brother. – Locke.
2. An association of men for any purpose, as a society of monks; a fraternity. – Davies.
3. A class of men of the same kind, profession, or occupation. – Addison.

BROTH'ER-LESS, a.

Without a brother. – Shak.

BROTH'ER-LIKE, a.

Becoming a brother. – Shak.

BROTH'ER-LI-NESS, n.

State of being brotherly.

BROTH'ER-LOVE, n.

Brotherly affection. – Shak.

BROTH'ER-LY, a.

Pertaining to brothers; such as is natural for brothers; becoming brothers; kind; affectionate; as, brotherly love. – Bacon. Shakspeare uses this word as an adverb. “I speak but brotherly.” But the use is not authorized.

BROUGHT, pp. [and pret. of Bring; pronounced braut. See Bring.]

BROW, n. [Sax. bræw, bruwa; D. braauw; G. braue; Russ. brov; Ir. bra, brai, eyebrow, and abhra, the eyelid; Sans. bruwan, bru; Gr. οφρυη, οφρυς; Pers. بُرُو or اَبْرُو, bro or abro; and the last syllable of L. palpebra. It is probably contracted from brg, and signifies an edge, border or projection.]

1. The prominent ridge over the eye, forming an arch above the orbit. The skin of this arch or ridge is moved by muscles, which contract it in a frown and elevate it in joy or surprise. Hence, to knit the brows, is to frown. – Encyc.
2. The hair that covers the brow forming an arch, called the eye brow.
3. The forehead. Hence, the general air of the countenance. – Shak. Waller.
4. The edge of a steep place, as the brink of a river or precipice; as, the brow of a hill. – Bacon.
5. A fringe of coppice, adjoining to the hedge of a field. – Mason.

BROW, v.t.

To bound; to limit; to form the edge or border of. – Milton.

BROW'-ANT-LER, n. [brow and antler.]

1. The first start that grows on a deer's head. – Bailey.
2. The branch of a deer's horn next the tail. – Encyc.

BROW'-BEAT, v.t. [brow and beat.]

To depress or bear down with haughty, stern looks, or with arrogant speech and dogmatic assertions; or in general to bear down by impudence.

BROW'BEAT-EN, pp.

Overborne by impudence.

BROW'BEAT-ING, n.

A bearing down with stern looks, supercilious manners, or confident assertions.

BROW'BEAT-ING, ppr.

Overbearing with severe brows, stern looks, or positive assertions.

BROW'BOUND, a. [brow and bound.]

Crowned; having the head encircled as with a diadem. – Shak.

BROW'ED, a.

Formed into a border.

BROW'LESS, a.

Without shame. – Addison.

BROWN, a. [Sax. brun; D. bruin; Ger. braun; Dan. bruun; Fr. brun; Sp. and It. bruno; from the verb, to burn.]

Dusky; of a dark or dusky color, inclining to redness; but the shades are various, as Spanish brown, London brown, clove brown, tawny brown. Brown results from a mixture of red, black and yellow. – Kirwan.