adj

tawny

TAW-nee

adj

Of a light brownish-orange colour, like a lion's coat.

"The desert stretched out in tawny sand and rock."

"She had tawny hair that caught the sunlight."

noun

A light brownish-orange colour.

"The curtains were dyed a rich tawny."

A sweet, aged fortified wine (tawny port) known for its brownish-orange colour.

"They finished the meal with a glass of tawny port."

How to Use Tawny

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA warm brownish-orange colour, like tanned leather or a lion's fur.

Common pairings

tawny port tawny owl tawny fur

tawnier comparative, tawnied past tense, tawnies plural, tawnys plural, tawnies singular, tawniest superlative

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The desert stretched out in _____ sand and rock.

From Old French tané, the past participle of taner ("to tan hide into leather"), from tan, the bark used in the tanning process.

scrawny