Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A reddish-brown sandstone used as a building material.
- noun A house built or faced with brownish-red sandstone.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Decomposed iron pyrites.
- noun A name given to various kinds of dark-brown sandstone.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A dark variety of sandstone, much used for building purposes.
- noun a building, especially a dwelling, faced with brownstone{1}.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun uncountable A variety of
brown tored -brownsandstone once popular as a building material. - noun countable A
row house built of brownstone, especially inNew York City . A Manhattan brownstone
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a reddish brown sandstone; used in buildings
- noun a row house built of brownstone; reddish brown in color
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Today, the term brownstone can describe almost any row house, which typically has a facade of brick, limestone, actual brownstone or a mixture, he says.
Brooklyn Brownstone With a Twist—It's New Anne Miller 2011
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The word "brownstone" became a slang term for heroin, perhaps best immortalized in Guns N' Roses' 1987 song "Mr. Brownstone," but also evident in the Velvet Underground's 1967 song "I'm Waiting for the Man," where Lou Reed sings about going up to Harlem to meet his dealer, "Up to a brownstone, up three flights of stairs / Everybody's pinned you, but nobody cares."
Forbes.com: News Stephen Smith 2011
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So if the brownstone is well maintained, it's got the ironwork out front, it's got the street lamp — it's evocative.
Burning Affection for Park Slope's Gas Lamps Anne Miller 2010
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The Lowenstein (Jolly Royal) building, a beautiful brownstone, is lost and now the Lincoln American Tower is on fire.
Memphis is Burning... ____Maggie 2006
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The Lowenstein (Jolly Royal) building, a beautiful brownstone, is lost and now the Lincoln American Tower is on fire.
Archive 2006-10-01 ____Maggie 2006
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The first level of the brownstone was a two-car garage.
Vince Flynn Collectors’ Edition #1 Vince Flynn 1997
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The brownstone was a black hulk, the flag a shadow limply stirring over the entrance.
POSTMORTEM Patricia Cornwell 1990
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The brownstone was a black hulk, the flag a shadow limply stirring over the entrance.
POSTMORTEM Patricia Cornwell 1990
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The brownstone was a black hulk, the flag a shadow limply stirring over the entrance.
POSTMORTEM Patricia Cornwell 1990
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The brownstone was a black hulk, the flag a shadow limply stirring over the entrance.
POSTMORTEM Patricia Cornwell 1990
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