Etymology

bruin

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Today it means: A folk name for a bear, especially the brown bear, Ursus arctos. Full definition →

Middle Dutch bruun
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bruin · noun1

  1. Middle Dutch · derived frombruun“brown”
  2. English todaybruin

From Middle Dutch bruun (“brown”) via William Caxton's 1485 translation of a Dutch version of the legend of Reynard the Fox. Bruin is the bear, named for his brown color. Doublet of brown.

Bruin · proper noun2

  1. Dutch · derived frombruin“brown”
  2. English todayBruin

From Dutch bruin (“brown”), used as a name for the bear in Reynard the Fox.

Bruin · proper noun3

  1. Dutch · borrowed fromBruin
  2. English todayBruin

* As a Dutch surname, borrowed from Dutch Bruin, from the adjective bruin (“brown”). Compare Braun. * As an English surname, possibly a pronunciation of the French surname Brun, from the adjective brun (“brown”), related to above. * As an Alemannic German surname, variant of Bruhin.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.