brindle
brindle Lexical Profile
brindle Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a brownish or tawny coat of fur marked with irregular streaks or flecks of darker color.
"The shelter adopted out a gentle brindle boxer with striking dark stripes along its flanks."
• noun
A brownish, tawny, or gray animal coat coloring marked with irregular streaks or patches of a darker shade.
"The breed standard accepts fawn, black, and brindle as official coat colors for the competition."
An animal, especially a dog, cat, or cow, having a tawny or brownish coat streaked with darker hair.
"Among the litter of six greyhound puppies, the two brindles were the most energetic."
• verb
To mark or streak with a brindled or mottled pattern of darker and lighter shades.
"Filtered autumn sunlight brindled the forest floor with shifting bands of gold and shadow."
• Rhymes for brindle
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating to the late 17th century, this word is a back-formation from the earlier adjective 'brindled', itself an alteration of Middle English 'brinded' (marked as if by burning or branding), related to Old English 'brand' (firebrand) and Old Norse 'brondottr' (describing a cow with a striped coat).