bruine

Bruine is the Dutch word for the color brown. In Dutch grammar, bruine is the feminine singular form of the adjective bruin, and it is also used in many plural constructions when describing brown-colored nouns. It functions broadly to denote a range of brown hues, from light chestnut to dark chocolate, and it appears in everyday speech, literature, and media.

Etymology and related terms: bruine derives from the Old Dutch word brūn, related to the Proto-Germanic root *brūną- that also produced the English brown and the German braun. The word is used both as a color descriptor and in set phrases. In compound expressions and fixed terms, bruine appears in phrases such as bruine suiker (brown sugar) and bruine bonen (brown beans).

Usage and examples: bruine is employed to describe objects, substances, and organisms with a brown coloration. Examples include bruine ogen (brown eyes), de bruine beer (the brown bear), and bruine chocolade (brown chocolate) in contexts where a brown shade is intended. The term is common in everyday Dutch and appears in fashion, food, nature, and design descriptions.

Notes on variation: as with other Dutch color adjectives, bruine is part of the broader system of color words that allows speakers to express a range of brown tones. While bruin is the base form, bruine is used in contexts that require feminine singular or certain plural agreements, making it a versatile part of color description in Dutch.

See also: bruin (color), brown in other languages, color terminology in Dutch.