Auburn
/ˈɔː.bɜːrn/noun
A reddish-brown color, especially of hair.
Did you know?The word entered English through a medieval scribal mistake: Middle English speakers reanalyzed an older French form, turning a once-obscure color word into the elegant shade we know today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ep-
“to take, seize”
Latin
Latin
albus
“white, bright”
Old French
Old French
auborne / auborne
“light yellowish-brown; blond”
Middle English
English
auborne
“pale yellow, blond, or light brown”
16th Century
English
auburn
“reddish-brown, especially of hair”
Modern English
English
auburn
“a reddish-brown color, especially of hair”