brawny

brawny

English

Etymology

brawn +‎ -y

Adjective

brawny (comparative brawnier, superlative brawniest)

1. Characterized by brawn; muscular, thewy; strong.

   Rattler was a big, brawny fellow, and he stepped up in front of me, rolling up his sleeves.

   • 1749, [John Cleland], Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: Printed [by Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], OCLC 731622352:

     As he stood on one side, for a minute or so, unbuttoning his waist-coat and breeches, her fat, brawny thighs hung down

   • 1959, Steam's Finest Hour, edited by David P. Morgan, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 68:

     Once the pressure of the comparatively low-drivered J's was raised to 300 pounds, they ranked as the brawniest of 4-8-4's with a tractive force of 80,000 pounds.

2. Calloused; hardened.

Derived terms

• brawniness

Translations

characterized by brawn

Bulgarian: силен (bg) (silen), мускулест (bg) (muskulest) Danish: kraftig (da), muskuløs Dutch: gespierd (nl) Finnish: lihaksikas (fi) French: balèze (fr), balaise (fr) German: muskulös (de)

Italian: muscoloso (it) Latin: torōsus Portuguese: musculoso (pt) Russian: мускули́стый (ru) (muskulístyj) Scottish Gaelic: tomadach, làidir Swedish: muskulös (sv), atletisk (sv), biffig (sv)