Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brow” come from?

Brow comes from Middle English browe, from Old English brū, from Proto-Germanic brūwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₃bʰrúHs.

brow (English): The ridge over the eyes; the eyebrow; The first...

Definitions

  1. The ridge over the eyes; the eyebrow; The first...

Ancestry of “brow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbroweThe eyebrow; The brow; The eyelid
2Old Englishbrū—
3West Germanic*brāwu—
4Proto-Germanicbrūwōeyebrow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃bʰrúHseyebrow

Words derived from “brow”

  • browed
  • highbrow
  • browbeat
  • middlebrow
  • lowbrow
  • browbeaten
  • unibrow
  • browband
  • browlift
  • monobrow
  • browless
  • browplasty
  • browbeater
  • browline
  • browbone
  • midbrow
  • overbrow
  • highbrowism
  • middlebrowism
  • lowbrowism
  • browman
  • lowbrowness
  • highbrowness
  • monobrowed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃bʰrúHs →