English

Noun

Brownie ‎(plural Brownies)

1. (Britain, Canada, Australia) A junior Girl Guide.
   • 1958 July 14, Boot by a Brash Brownie, LIFE, page 124,

     In Toronto young Brownies of the Girl Guides, the Canadian girl scouts, stood in parade formation with full-fledged Guides.

   • 1997, Doug Owram, Born at the Right Time: A History of the Baby-Boom Generation, page 102,

     The ideal Brownie pack, according to the 1960 Guide Commissioner′s Handbook, would contain Brownies who were ‘alert, clean, tidy and punctual. Their uniform should be correct.’

   • 2009, Tammy M. Proctor, Scouting for Girls: A Century of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, page 85,

     Another Guide group that persevered through internment was the 1st Chefoo (which had Brownies, Guides and Rangers) in Shandong province, China. […] The November 2, 1942, entry in the Brownie logbook pleads for cheerfulness in the face of adversity: “We are in need of smiles. Have you got them ready, Brownies?”

2. (US) A junior Girl Scout.
   • 1952 March 24, Girl Scouts: They Are Observing Their 40th Birthday, LIFE, page 109,

     Any girl willing to follow the simple rules can join the Girl Scouts. As Brownies they will spend most of their time playing games and singing songs like the Brownie Smile Song: “I′ve something in my pocket; It belongs across my face, And I keep it very close at hand In a most convenient place.... I′m sure you couldn′t guess it If you guessed a long, long while, So I′ll take it out and put it on—It′s a great big Brownie smile!”

   • 1997, Samuel F. Pickering, The Blue Caterpillar, in The Blue Caterpillar and Other Essays, page 63,

     Most marchers were children, Girl and Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brownies. One Cub Scout pulled his sister in a Radio Flyer decorated with small American flags. A Brownie pushed a baby carriage crammed with a zoo of stuffed animals.

   • 2011, Kim Perone, Vacuum Like No One Is Watching, page 15,

     After all, the meetings were held at my own house and my own mother was the queen. Doesn′t that make me some sort of Brownie princess? Apparently not.

     As we graduated from Brownies to Girl Scouts, Mom was again my leader.

Synonyms

• (junior Girl Guide): Rosebud (historical)

Translations

German

Brownie

Etymology

Borrowing from English brownie

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbʁaʊ̯ni]

Noun

Brownie m ‎(genitive Brownies, plural Brownies)

1. brownie (small rich chocolate cake)

Declension

English

chocolate brownies.

mythical brownies.

Noun

brownie ‎(plural brownies)

1. A small square piece of rich cake, usually made with chocolate.
   • 2000, Lori Gottlieb, Stick Figure: a diary of my former self, page 173,

     […] if she ever found out she was dying, she'd just eat brownies all day and night until the very end.

   • 2005, Aaron Lazare, On Apology, unnumbered page,

     On a Saturday afternoon, my wife bought her favorite treat for dessert that evening, a gourmet, nut-filled brownie.

   • 2005, Steve Otto, Memoirs of a Drugged-Up, Sex-Crazed Yippie, page 228,

     After cooking the brownies until we could smell the pot, we each ate a large brownie.

2. (folklore) A mythical creature, a helpful elf who would do people's housework for them.
   • 1908, Dinah Craik, The Adventures of A Brownie.
   • 1985, The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 1, page 636,

     Stories were told of a brownie riding horseback to fetch the midwife at childbirth or helping his master to win at checkers.

   • 2004, Justin Hocking, Jeffrey Knutson, Jared Jacang Maher (editors), Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End, page 37,

     There are no brownies in my house, though. I know because there's always a pile of dishes in the sink.

3. (paganism) A household spirit or revered ancestor.
4. (Australia, New Zealand, colloquial) A tall, long-necked beer bottle, made from brown coloured glass.
5. (ethnic slur, offensive) A person of Arab, Indian or Hispanic descent. Also rarely used for a Native American or Pacific Islander.

Derived terms

• chocolate brownie
• hash brownie

Translations

Portuguese

Noun

brownie m (plural brownies)

1. brownie (type of small chocolate cake)

Spanish

Noun

brownie m ‎(plural brownies)

1. brownie