The Collaborative International Dictionary
Brown \Brown\ (broun), a. [Compar. Browner; superl. Brownest.] [OE. brun, broun, AS. br?n; akin to D. bruin, OHG. br?n, Icel. br?nn, Sw. brun, Dan. bruun, G. braun, Lith. brunas, Skr. babhru. [root]93, 253. Cf. Bruin, Beaver, Burnish, Brunette.] Of a dark color, of various shades between black and red or yellow. Cheeks brown as the oak leaves. --Longfellow. Brown Bess, the old regulation flintlock smoothbore musket, with bronzed barrel, formerly used in the British army. Brown bread
Dark colored bread; esp. a kind made of unbolted wheat flour, sometimes called in the United States Graham bread. ``He would mouth with a beggar though she smelt brown bread and garlic.''
--Shak.-
Dark colored bread made of rye meal and Indian meal, or of wheat and rye or Indian; rye and Indian bread. [U.S.]
Brown coal, wood coal. See Lignite.
Brown hematite or Brown iron ore (Min.), the hydrous iron oxide, limonite, which has a brown streak. See Limonite.
Brown holland. See under Holland.
Brown paper, dark colored paper, esp. coarse wrapping paper, made of unbleached materials.
Brown spar (Min.), a ferruginous variety of dolomite, in part identical with ankerite.
Brown stone. See Brownstone.
Brown stout, a strong kind of porter or malt liquor.
Brown study, a state of mental abstraction or serious reverie.
--W. Irving.
Wikipedia
Brown Bess is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army's muzzle-loading smoothbore Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired symbolic importance at least as significant as its physical importance. It was in use for over a hundred years with many incremental changes in its design. These versions include the Long Land Pattern, the Short Land Pattern, the India Pattern, the New Land Pattern Musket and the Sea Service Musket.
The Long Land Pattern musket and its derivatives, all .75 caliber flintlock muskets, were the standard long guns of the British Empire's land forces from 1722 until 1838, when they were superseded by a percussion cap smoothbore musket. The British Ordnance System converted many flintlocks into the new percussion system known as the Pattern 1839 Musket. A fire in 1841 at the Tower of London destroyed many muskets before they could be converted. Still, the Brown Bess saw service until the middle of the nineteenth century.
Most male citizens of the American Colonies were required by law to own arms and ammunition for militia duty. The Long Land Pattern was a common firearm in use by both sides in the American War of Independence.
In 1808, Sweden purchased significant numbers from the United Kingdom for use in the Finnish War.
During the Musket Wars (1820s–1830s), Māori warriors used Brown Besses, having purchased them from European traders at the time. Some muskets were sold to the Mexican Army, which used them during the Texas Revolution of 1836 and the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. Brown Besses saw service during the Indian rebellion of 1857. Zulu warriors, who had also purchased them from European traders, used them during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. One was even used in the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.
Usage examples of "brown bess".
Then, before anyone was even aware she had cast it, the second stone followed the first, pulverizing the lump of gray- brown bess soil on his left shoulder in a cloud of dust.
Now, you shall give me your opinion of our Punjabi muskets - are they not a match for Brown Bess?
Jack lamented the loss of Brown Bess, which would have brought down all the deer they might have wanted, or at least scared the hell out of them.
JUSTIUS (to himother): Brawn is my name and broad is my nature and I've breit on my brow and all's right with every feature and I'll brune this bird or Brown Bess's bung's gone bandy.
When there's work to be done, you mark my word and see if they don't come back to brown Bess.
I drove down to the village and stopped at the Brown Bess, It was an unfashionable little pub, sandwiched between a scum-encrusted duck pond and a neglected war memorial.
It looped one end of itself to the stock of an old Brown Bess musket Laura had hung on her wall for colonial clout and leaped out the window.
Instead, the thread stretched itself thinner and thinner before Laura's eyes, until all that told her it was still there was the minuscule tremblings of the anchoring Brown Bess.
There were arquebuses, about the size and weight of an M1 Garrand, 16- to 20-bore, and calivers about the size of the Brown Bess musket of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.