bruin

bruin — noun

1. a large and dangerous bear, especially one living in Europe or Asia

1.nounC2
Definition

a large and dangerous bear, especially one living in Europe or Asia

Example

The hunters saw a huge bruin near the river at dawn.

a bruin for a single bear

In the old story, a sleepy bruin stole honey from camp.

story-like use of bruin

Synonyms
  • bear

    the normal everyday word for the animal

  • brown bear

    more exact when the species matters

Grammar Patterns

a bruin

the bruin

Usage Note

This word is rare in modern English. Most speakers use bear instead.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bear is the normal everyday word for this animal and is the safest choice in almost all writing. Bruin names the same creature, but it is far rarer and usually sounds more colorful or old-fashioned. Brown bear is the neutral species label when you want biological accuracy, while grizzly usually points to a large North American type of brown bear. Use bear in ordinary speech, use brown bear in wildlife or science contexts, and choose bruin only when a more vivid tone fits. A park notice would say 'Do not approach the bear,' but a storyteller might write 'A tired bruin came down to the river.'

bear ↗brown beargrizzly ↗

Etymology

DutchEnglish

Bruin comes from a Dutch word meaning 'brown'. In older animal stories, Brown became a name for the bear, and English later took bruin as another word for the animal.