different between prowess vs brawn

English

Etymology

From Middle English prowesse, prouwesse, proues, prouesce, prouesse (“bravery in battle; act of bravery; excellence; nobility of character; intelligence”), from Old French proeche, proesce, proeësche (“goodness; excellence; bravery”), from Old French preu, prou, prouz, proz, pruz (“good; excellent; brave”). Compare English proud.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p?a??s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p?a??s/
• Hyphenation: prow?ess

Noun

prowess (countable and uncountable, plural prowesses)

1. (uncountable) Skillfulness and manual ability; adroitness or dexterity.
2. (uncountable) Distinguished bravery or courage, especially in battle; heroism.
3. (countable) An act of prowess.
   1. An act of adroitness or dexterity.
   2. An act of distinguished bravery or courage; a heroic deed.

Derived terms

• prowessed (adjective)

Related terms

• prow

Translations

References

English

Etymology

From Middle English brawne, from Old French braon (“slice of meat, fleshy part, buttock”), from Frankish *br?don, *br?dan, accusative form of *br?d? (“roasted meat, ham”), from Proto-Germanic *br?dô (“meat, roast”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?r?- (“to burn, heat”), from *b?rewh?- (“to boil, bubble, burn”). Akin to Old High German br?to (“tender meat”) (German Braten (“roast”)), Old English br?de, br?d (“flesh, meat”), Old Norse bráð (“raw meat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b???n/
• Rhymes: -??n

Noun

brawn (uncountable)

1. Strong muscles or lean flesh, especially of the arm, leg or thumb.
2. Physical strength; muscularity.
   • 2000, Stephanie Laurens, A Secret Love, Avon Books (2000), ?ISBN, page 349:

     The man was a bruiser, the sort who'd learned his science in tavern brawls. Given his size and lack of agility, he relied on his brawn to win. In any wrestling match, Crowley would triumph easily.

   • 2008, Michael Mandaville, Stealing Thunder, Dog Ear Publishing (2008), ?ISBN, page 562:

     The two men were husky, picked for their brawn by the little man who sauntered into the room.

   • 2010, Martin Pasko & Robert Greenberger, The Essential Superman Encyclopedia, Del Ray (2010), ?ISBN, page 218:

     The youth agreed to the scheme and used his brawn to begin moving pieces into place, starting by moving the planet Rann into the Thanagarian star system […]

3. (chiefly Britain) Head cheese; a terrine made from the head of a pig or calf; originally boar's meat.
   • 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts:

     Now if your Majesty would have our bristles
     To bind your mortar with, or fill our colons
     With rich blood, or make brawn out of our gristles,
     In policy—ask else your royal Solons—
     You ought to give us hog-wash and clean straw,
     And sties well thatched; besides it is the law!

   • 1978, Jane Gardam, God on the Rocks, Abacus 2014, p. 111:

     It was brawn and shape for high tea.

4. (Britain, dialectal) A boar.
   • 1821, John Stagg, The Cumbrian Minstrel: Being a Poetical Miscellany:

     And loud as brawns wer [they] snoring,

   • 1842, Moses Aaron Richardson, The Borderer's Table Book: Or, Gatherings of the Local History:

     THE village of Brancepath, pleasantly situated at the distance of four miles and three- quarters south-west by west of Durham, is said to have derived its name (a corruption of Brawn's-path) from a brawn of vast size, [...]

Derived terms

• brawny

Translations

See also

• aspic

Verb

brawn (third-person singular simple present brawns, present participle brawning, simple past and past participle brawned)

1. (transitive) Make fat, especially of a boar.
2. (intransitive) Become fat, especially of a boar.

Derived terms

• brawner

Translations

Middle English

Noun

brawn

1. Alternative form of brawne