Brown Bess

noun

The British Army's Land Pattern Musket or any of its derivatives, standard-issue weapons for British soldiers in the American Revolution.

Similar
Black Bess
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Meanings

nounBrown Bess (plural Brown Besses)

plural Brown Besses

  1. informalThe British Army's Land Pattern Musket or any of its derivatives, standard-issue weapons for British soldiers in the American Revolution.

    Synonyms: Black Bess

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe British Army's Land Pattern Musket or any of its derivatives, standard-issue weapons for British soldiers in the American Revolution.

Similar
Black Bess

Origin

From an archaic meaning of brown, meaning plain or ordinary, and Bess, a nickname for Elizabeth associated with the lower class and prostitutes.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Brown Bess. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Brown%20Bess

MLA

“Brown Bess.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Brown%20Bess. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Brown Bess,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Brown%20Bess.

Source: Brown Bess on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.