brindled
/ˈbrɪndəld/
adjective
Origin
Old Norse
brond — fire, flame, or brand
Overview
Meaning Now
- Having a tawny or grayish coat with streaks or patches of a darker color.
- Marked with a pattern of irregular dark streaks or spots on a lighter background.
Literal older meaning
having markings like a brand or fire
Language path
Old Norse → Middle English → English
Earliest form
brindled
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term is closely related to 'brand', evoking the visual appearance of burning or glowing streaks on a surface. It is most commonly applied to animal coats, specifically cattle, dogs, and cats, to describe specific color patterns caused by the gene for brindle expression.
Evolution
- Old Norse
brond
“fire, brand”
Original sense relating to fire/glowing marks.
- Middle English
brond
“a burning piece of wood”
Influenced by associations with 'brand' or fire-like streaks.
- 16th century
brinded
“streaked or marked”
Early form of the word, now largely archaic.
- 17th century
brindled
“having a coat with streaks”
Current standard form derived from 'brinded' with the addition of the 'l' suffix.
Connections
Word parts
brindle
stem
a brownish or tawny color with streaks
-ed
suffix
having the quality of
Related across languages
Old English
brand
burning piece of wood
Explore next
Related to brindled
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.