# frown
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /fɹaʊn/
* Audio (General American):(file)
* Rhymes: -aʊn

### Etymology 1

From Middle English frown, froun (“a threatening appearance; lowering of the clouds”), from frounen (“to frown”). See below.

#### Noun

frown (plural frowns)
* A wrinkling of the forehead with the eyebrows brought together, typically indicating displeasure, severity, or concentration.
** 1860, George Eliot, “V: Maggie's Second Visit”, in The Mill on the Floss‎, Volume I Book II, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood, page 336‑337:Philip had once told him of a man who had a horse-shoe frown, and Tom had tried with all his frowning-might to make a horse-shoe on his forehead
** 1873, Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals‎, page 223:He encounters some obstacle in his train of reasoning ... and then a frown passes like a shadow over his brow.
* (Canada, US) A downturn of the corners of the mouth, typically expressing sadness.
** 1911 December, “Facial Expression Electric Sign”, in Popular Electricity‎, volume iv, number 8, Chicago, page 714:The smile and the frown are both indicated and the operation of a motor driven flasher causes the face to look happy and sad in turn.
** 1931, “Turn That Frown Upside Down, Smile at the Cock-eyed World”, Joe Young (lyrics), Sam Stept (music):

##### Derived terms

* frownful
* frownless
* frownsome
* frowny
* permafrown
* turn the frown upside down

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From Middle English frounen (“to frown as an expression of disapproval, displeasure, shame, fear, or jealousy”), from Old French frognier (“to frown or scowl”), from Gaulish *frognā (“nostril”), from Proto-Celtic *srognā.

#### Verb

frown (third-person singular simple present frowns, present participle frowning, simple past and past participle frowned)
* (intransitive) To have a frown on one's face.
    She frowned when I told her the news.
* (intransitive, figurative) To manifest displeasure or disapprobation; to look with disfavour or threateningly.
    Noisy gossip in the library is frowned upon.
** c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:The sky doth frown and lower upon our army.
* (transitive) To repress or repel by expressing displeasure or disapproval; to rebuke with a look.
    Let us frown the impudent fellow into silence.
* (transitive) To communicate by frowning.
    Frank frowned his displeasure with my proposal.
** 2017 June 26, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in the Guardian‎:As the band paused between songs, a gust of wind blew a distinctive Worthy Farm odour in the direction of drummer/vocalist Julien Ehrich: “Wow,” he frowned, “this place smells of cow shit.”

##### Synonyms

* scowl

##### Derived terms

* afrown
* frown at
* frowner
* frown on
* frown upon
* outfrown

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

## Welsh
### Adjective

frown
* Soft mutation of brown.

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.