brow
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the part of your face above your eyes.
the forehead, often used in literature to describe a person's expression or state of mind.
Simple“He wiped the sweat from his brow after working in the garden all afternoon.”
In context“A deep furrow appeared on her brow as she struggled to decipher the cryptic instructions left by her predecessor.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the line of hair above your eye.
the eyebrow or the bony ridge located directly above the eye socket.
Simple“She raised a brow in surprise when she heard the unexpected news.”
In context“The boxer suffered a deep laceration above his left brow, forcing the referee to pause the match for a medical evaluation.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the very top edge of a hill or a steep slope.
the projecting upper edge of a steep place, such as a hill or a cliff.
Simple“As we reached the brow of the hill, we saw the ocean for the first time.”
In context“The hikers paused at the brow of the ridge to catch their breath and admire the panoramic view of the valley below.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
a bridge or ramp used to walk between a ship and the land.
a portable bridge or gangway used for boarding or disembarking from a vessel alongside a quay.
Simple“The sailors lowered the brow so the passengers could walk onto the pier.”
In context“The captain ordered the crew to secure the brow firmly to the wharf before allowing the heavy equipment to be rolled ashore.”
Synonymsgangwayramp
From Middle English browe, from Old English brū, from Proto-West Germanic brāwu, from Proto-Germanic brūwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃bʰrúHs (“brow”). Cognate with Scots broo (“brow”), Dutch brauw (“brow”), German Braue (“eyebrow”), Danish, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish bryn (“brow”), Faroese, Icelandic brún (“brow”). See also Middle Irish brúad, Tocharian B pärwāne (“eyebrows”), Lithuanian bruvi̇̀s, Serbo-Croatian obrva (“eyebrow”), Russian бровь (brovʹ, “brow”), Ancient Greek ὀφρύς (ophrús, “eyebrow”), Sanskrit भ्रू (bhrū, “eyebrow”)), Persian ابرو (abru, “eyebrow”), Khowar بروُ (bruú, “eyebrow”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.