English

Noun

bruin ‎(plural bruins)

1. A folk name for a bear, especially the brown bear, Ursus arctos.
   • 1989, Keith Bosley, translating Elias Lönnrot, The Kalevala, XVII:

     The mother sought the one gone / astray, for the lost she longs: / she ran great swamps as a wolf / trod the wilds as a bruin / waters as an otter roamed […].

Anagrams

• burin
• Rubin, rub in

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch bruin.

Adjective

bruin ‎(attributive bruine, comparative bruiner, superlative bruinste)

1. brown

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -œy̯n
• IPA^(key): /brœy̯n/

Adjective

bruin ‎(comparative bruiner, superlative bruinst)

1. having a brown colour (as chocolate, for example)

Inflection

Derived terms

• bruinkool

Noun

bruin n ‎(uncountable)

1. the color brown

   Het bruin van de stam contrasteerde fel met het groen van de bladeren - The brown color of the trunk contrasted sharply with the green color of the leafs.

bruin c ‎(uncountable)

1. (slang) heroin

   Mijn god, zit ie aan de bruin? - My god, is he on heroin?

Usage notes

The expression aan de bruin zijn is used for the addiction to heroin only, not for individual shots.

See also