rhizoverbBeta
DictionarydunGrayish-brown color
adjective / noun

dun

DUN/dʌn/

A dull grayish-brown color.

The wool scarf is a muted dun.

A plain wool scarf loosely folded to display its uniformly dull grayish-brown color against white paper.
Etymology
dunOld Englishdingy brown; dark-colored

Old English dunn covered both dingy brown and dark coloring. The selected sense preserves the brown part of that range, describing a dull shade tinged with gray.

In context

Enhanced Public Domain99:24
… his watery eyes that seemed almost of the same color as the dun white sockets …
1800s Fiction Audiobook: Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

More examples

  • A dun hillside stretched beyond the road.
  • She mixed a dull dun for the background.
  • The fabric was a muted dun.

Forms

dun

Similar words

taupe
Taupe is another grayish-brown shade; dun commonly describes dull earth tones or animal coats.
brown
Brown is the broad color category; dun is a muted grayish-brown.