brown study

American  

noun

1. deep, serious absorption in thought.

   Lost in a brown study, she was oblivious to the noise.

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brown study British  

noun

1. a mood of deep absorption or thoughtfulness; reverie

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Etymology

Origin of brown study

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

“The Potato Eaters,” the large, mostly brown study of peasants at a humble meal that scholars consider Vincent’s first masterpiece, was hung above the fireplace.

From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2021

Most people spend between 30 and 47 percent of their waking hours spacing out, drifting off, lost in thought, woolgathering, in a brown study or building castles in the air.

From Scientific American • Aug. 22, 2014

The helm station is quite handsome, a brown study in leather and hardwood.

From Time Magazine Archive

As Shroeder, Actor-Playwright Guyer is a brown study of the good ole boy, wondering what ever happened to the kingdom of machismo.

From Time Magazine Archive

She had been in a brown study, and was embarrassed and annoyed at having been caught speaking aloud.

From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Crane, Laura Dent