brow
UK[braʊ]US[braʊ]
n
the part of the face above the eyes and below the hair; the forehead.
n
an eyebrow.
n
the top edge of a steep slope.
Etymology
the modern english word 'brow' descends directly from the old english 'brū', which referred to the eyebrow or the eyelash. this old english term finds its origin in the proto-germanic 'brūwō', a word for the eyebrow. tracing further back, the proto-indo-european root 'h₃bʰrúHs' meant 'eyebrow', demonstrating a remarkably stable semantic lineage across millennia. the meaning expanded in middle english to also denote the forehead and, by metaphorical extension, the projecting top edge of a hill or cliff, linking the prominent feature of the face to a prominent geographical feature.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form derived from old english 'brū', meaning 'eyebrow' or 'eyelash'. it is a germanic word with a proto-indo-european root.
Examples
she wiped the sweat from her brow after the long climb.
he raised a skeptical brow at the unlikely story.
from our vantage point at the brow of the hill, we could see the entire valley.