rufous

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   reddish-brown or rust-colored, especially in descriptions of animal fur or plumage

   The bird was identified by the rufous feathers across its throat.

2. 2
   noun

   a rufous or reddish-brown color

   The butterfly's wings shaded from black at the edges to rufous near the body.

Borrowed from Latin rufus ("red, reddish"). The adjective became especially common in zoological descriptions of rust-red or reddish-brown coats, feathers, and markings.

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