brawn
/brɔːn
/noun [mass noun]
1Physical strength in contrast to intelligence: commando work required as much brain as brawn...
- Their strength and brawn have always put Tipp off a bit.
- I suddenly saw these guys around me gaining this muscle, strength, and brawn.
- On exams that measure brawn and physical aptitude, your score is not fixed - it can improve over time.
Synonyms
physical strength, muscle, muscles, muscular strength, muscularity, brawniness, burliness, huskiness, robustness, toughness, powerfulness, might, mightiness, lustiness
informal beef, beefiness
literary thew
2British Meat from a pig’s or calf’s head that is cooked and pressed in a pot with jelly: a slice of brawn pork brawn...
- Medieval English pork recipes included pies, brawn, and little rissoles.
- The principal part of the pig used to make Pork Brawn is the head.
- If you hanker for a taste of the past and have time on your hands, try his take on the old traditional favourite of jellied brawn
Origin
Middle English: from Old French braon 'fleshy part of the leg', of Germanic origin; related to German Braten 'roast meat'.
Brawn for both muscular strength and pressed potted meat is from Old French braon ‘fleshy part of the leg’, from a Germanic root. A related word is German Braten ‘roast meat’.