| roan | 1. Having a bay, chestnut, brown, or black colour, with gray or white thickly interspersed; said of a horse. "Give my roan a drench." (Shak) 2. Made of the leather called roan; as, roan binding. <zoology> Roan antelope, a very large South African antelope (Hippotragus equinus). It has long sharp horns and a stiff bright brown mane. Called also mahnya, equine antelope, and bastard gemsbok. Origin: F. Rouan; cf. Sp. Roano, ruano, It. Rovano, roano. 1. The colour of a roan horse; a roan colour. 2. A roan horse. 3. A kind of leather used for slippers, bookbinding, etc, made from sheepskin, tanned with sumac and coloured to imitate ungrained morocco. Roan tree. <botany> See Rowan tree. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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