Brows

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /bɹaʊz/

Definitions

1. The plural noun denotes the arches of hair above the eyes, signifies the action of raising or lowering these hairs to convey feelings, and represents a focal point in visual concentration or scrutiny
2. This term refers to the multiple strands of hair located above each eye, implies the gesture of manipulating these hairs to exhibit sentiments, and indicates a particular aspect requiring attention or inspection
3. The plural form refers to the group of hairlines situated above the eyes, describes the movement of these hairlines to express emotions, and highlights an area of focus in observation or examination

Etymology: The plural "brows" is simply the plural of "brow," so its story is the story of that noun. "Brow" has been in English since Old English, when the form was "brū," and it traces back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root shared by a remarkable spread of words: Greek "ophrús" (eyebrow), Sanskrit "bhrū" (eyebrow), Russian "brovʹ" (brow), and Icelandic "brún" (brow) all descend from the same ancestor. That wide family is a clue to how old the word is. Its meaning has stayed close to its physical origin, the ridge of bone and hair above the eye, while also extending to the forehead and the top of a hill or cliff, a sense that appears in English as the edge of a height. "Brow" is also a doublet of "brew," meaning the two words come from the same source but took different routes into English, one as a word for the body and one as a word for a liquid.

Synonyms: foreheads, facial features