brawny

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈbrɔni/ UK /ˈbrɔːni/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
physically strong and muscular

Two brawny dockworkers hoisted the crate with ease.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · physically strong and muscular muscular burly strong sinewy beefy strapping powerful

Opposites

puny weak scrawny feeble frail

Word family

Derived forms brawniness

Related forms brawn

Etymology

From brawn ('muscle') + the adjectival suffix -y. Brawn comes from Old French braon ('fleshy part, muscle'), from Frankish *brādo ('roast, flesh'), of Germanic origin.

braon Old French *brādo Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# brawny

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈbrɔni
**IPA (UK):** ˈbrɔːni

## Meanings
1. physically strong and muscular

## Examples
- Two brawny dockworkers hoisted the crate with ease.

## Synonyms
- muscular
- burly
- strong
- sinewy
- beefy
- strapping
- powerful

## Antonyms
- puny
- weak
- scrawny
- feeble
- frail

## Derived Forms
- brawniness

## Related Forms
- brawn

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: braon
- Root: *brādo

## Etymology
From brawn ('muscle') + the adjectival suffix -y. Brawn comes from Old French braon ('fleshy part, muscle'), from Frankish *brādo ('roast, flesh'), of Germanic origin.

## AI Etymology
Brawny is an adjective meaning "physically strong and muscular". Historically, it is from brawn ('muscle') + the adjectival suffix -y. Brawn comes from Old French braon ('fleshy part, muscle'), from Frankish *brādo ('roast, flesh'), of Germanic origin. The visible construction is part of the etymology: brawny is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "physically strong and muscular", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Old French braon with Proto-Germanic *brādo. Close English family members include brawniness, and brawn.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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brawny

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