Tawny definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TAW'NY, a. Of a yellowish dark color, like things tanned, or persons who are sun-burnt; as a tawny Moor or Spaniard; the tawny sons of Numidia; the tawny lion.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of a light brown to brownish orange color; the color of tanned leather [syn: tawny, tawny-brown]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective (tawnier; -est) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French tané, tauné, literally, tanned, from past participle of tanner to tan Date: 14th century 1. of the color tawny 2. of a warm sandy color like that of well-tanned skin <the lion's tawny coat> • tawniness noun II. noun (plural tawnies) Date: 15th century a brownish-orange to light brown color

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. (tawnier, tawniest) of an orange- or yellow-brown colour. Phrases and idioms: tawny eagle a brownish African or Asian eagle, Aquila rapax. tawny owl a reddish-brown European owl, Strix aluco. Derivatives: tawniness n. Etymology: ME f. AF tauné, OF tané f. tan TAN(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tawny Taw"ny, a. [Compar. Tawnier; superl. Tawniest.] [F. tann['e], p. p. of tanner to tan. See Tan, v. t. & n. Cf. Tenn['e].] Of a dull yellowish brown color, like things tanned, or persons who are sunburnt; as, tawny Moor or Spaniard; the tawny lion. ``A leopard's tawny and spotted hide.'' --Longfellow.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Tawny hair, fur, or skin is a pale brown colour. She had tawny hair. COLOUR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Fulvous, fulvid, yellowish-brown, dull yellow.

Moby Thesaurus

beige, brown, brownish, brownish-yellow, brunet, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, cocoa-brown, coffee, coffee-brown, drab, dun, dun-brown, dun-drab, ecru, fawn, fawn-colored, fuscous, grege, hazel, khaki, lurid, nut-brown, olive-brown, olive-drab, seal, seal-brown, sepia, snuff-colored, sorrel, tan, taupe, toast, toast-brown, umber, umber-colored, walnut, walnut-brown, yellowish-brown