in a brown study
1Brown study — 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},… …
2brown study — n. [orig., somber thought < early sense of BROWN, somber, gloomy] a condition of being deep in thought; reverie …
3brown study — {n. phr.} A time of deep thought about something; a deep thoughtful mood. * /When his wife found him, he had pushed away his books and was in a brown study./ …
4brown study — {n. phr.} A time of deep thought about something; a deep thoughtful mood. * /When his wife found him, he had pushed away his books and was in a brown study./ …
5brown study — deep, serious absorption in thought: Lost in a brown study, she was oblivious to the noise. [1525 35] * * * …
6brown study — noun Melancholy mood accompanied by deep thought; daydream. So gathering up the shavings with another grin, and throwing them into the great stove in the middle of the room, he went about his business, and left me in a brown study …
7brown\ study — n. phr. A time of deep thought about something; a deep thoughtful mood. When his wife found him, he had pushed away his books and was in a brown study …
8brown study — brown′ stud′y n. deep, serious absorption in thought • Etymology: 1525–35 …
9in a brown study — LOST IN THOUGHT, in a reverie, musing, ruminating, cogitating, dreaming, daydreaming; informal miles away. → study * * * I see study II absorbed in one s thoughts Origin: apparently originally from brown in the sense ‘gloomy’ …
10in a brown study — ► in a brown study absorbed in one s thoughts. [ORIGIN: apparently originally from brown in the sense «gloomy».] Main Entry: ↑study …
