брћвь eyebrow

Ћн удивлённо пћднял брћвь, но ничегћ не сказђл. He raised his eyebrow in surprise, but said nothing.

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the word брћвь "eyebrow," denoting the fringe of hair growing over the ridge that forms the upper part of the orbit of the eye. This word refers only to humans. The term for "eyebrow" in the sense of "the ridge that forms the upper part of the orbit of the eye" is надбрћвная дугђ, though the word брћвь is used in that sense in the expression рассљчь брћвь "make a cut in someone's eyebrow."

Morphology

брћвь SE [Loc. (на) бровќ or (на) брћви], NPlur. брћви; f.in.noun

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose eyebrow it is
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive
Тћнкие брћви Натђши сердќто сдвќнулись к перенћсью. Natasha angrily knitted her thin eyebrows over the bridge of her nose.
Её брћви бІли сќльно подведенІ. Her eyebrows were heavily made up.
NB When the word брћвь functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction брћвь у + Genitive is often preferred to (a) and (b), above:
Брћви у неё бІли сќльно подведенІ. Her eyebrows were heavily made up.

Restrictive modifiers

(a) adjectival modifier
лљвая/прђвая брћвь the left/right eyebrow
Лљвая брћвь у неё былђ подведенђ сильнље, чљм прђвая. Her left eyebrow was made up more heavily than her right one.
рассечённая брћвь the eyebrow with a cut in it
тђ брћвь, котћрая былђ мнљ виднђ the eyebrow that was visible to me

Lexical Relationships

Diminutives

брћвка eyebrow

Syntactic derivatives

-брћвый -browed
чернобрћвый black-browed
-брћвный eyebrow (as modifier)
надбрћвная дугђ eyebrow, the raised ridge that forms the upper part of the orbit of the eye

Size and shape; aesthetics

длќнные брћви long eyebrows
корћткие брћви short eyebrows
тћнкие брћви thin eyebrows
брћви нќточкойi thin brows, threadlike brows
нќточки бровљйg the thin lines of the eyebrows
ширћкие брћви wide eyebrows
лќния бровљйg shape of the eyebrows
прямІе брћви straight eyebrows
рћвные брћви even eyebrows
брћви, кђк нарисћванные perfect eyebrows (lit. "eyebrows which look as if an artist drew them")
брћви дугћйi arched eyebrows
дџги бровљйg the arches of the eyebrows
брћви дћмикомi eyebrows which slant upwards as they meet
полукрџжья бровљйg the rounded arches of the eyebrows
летїщие брћви; брћви вразлёт wing-like eyebrows, long eyebrows slanting up towards the temples
излћм бровљйg sharply arched eyebrows
изгќб бровљйg the curve of the eyebrows
высћкие брћви high eyebrows
густІе брћви thick eyebrows
бровђстый Colloquial having thick eyebrows
рљдкие брћви sparse eyebrows
безбрћвый having either no eyebrows, or very sparse ones
космђтые брћви shaggy eyebrows
Всљ карикатурќсты подчёркивают глђвную осћбенность лицђ Брљжнева — космђтые, навќсшие над глазђми брћви. Caricaturists all emphasize the outstanding feature of Brezhnev's face — shaggy eyebrows, hanging over his eyes.
кустќстые брћви bushy eyebrows
навќсшие брћви beetle brows, thick and protruding eyebrows
срћсшиеся брћви eyebrows which meet over the nose
красќвые брћви beautiful eyebrows
соболќные брћви Folklore and Poetic sable eyebrows
шелковќстые брћви silky eyebrows
выщќпывать/вІщипать (себљd) брћвиa to pluck one's eyebrows
вІщипанные брћви plucked eyebrows
подбривђть/подбрќть (себљd) брћвиa to trim one's eyebrows by shaving

Color (natural, dyed, and sun-bleached)

тёмные брћви dark eyebrows
чёрные брћви black eyebrows
брћви, кђк џголь coal-black eyebrows
чернобрћвый black-browed
свљтлые брћви light eyebrows, blond eyebrows
рІжие брћви red eyebrows
седІе брћви grey eyebrows
белёсые брћви pale, whitish eyebrows
NB Although the adjectives каштђновые "chestnut," рџсые "light-brown," and белокџрые "light-blond" are used with the word вћлосы "hair," they are not used with брћви. With regard to adjectives with -брћвый, note that чернобрћвый is widely used, светлобрћвый is very uncommon, and other color combinations are not used at all; theoretically, adjectives of this sort could also be formed from the phrases рІжие брћви, седІе брћви, and белёсые брћви, but in fact the standard way to describe a person with red eyebrows (or grey eyebrows, etc.) is мужчќна (or жљнщина, дљвушка, etc.) с рІжими бровїми, etc.
крђсить/подкрђсить (себљd) брћвиa to apply make-up to, to dye one's eyebrows
крђшеные брћви made-up, dyed eyebrows
подводќть/подвестќ (себљd) брћвиa to apply make-up to one's eyebrows
подведённые брћви made-up eyebrows, eyebrows with make-up on them
выгорђть/вІгореть: брћвиn вІгорели (на сћлнцеp) someone's eyebrows have been bleached by the sun
вІгоревшие (на сћлнцеp) брћви sun-bleached eyebrows
вІцветшие брћви eyebrows that lost their color (from age or exposure to sun)

Inflicting and sustaining injuries

рассечённая брћвь an eyebrow with a gash in it
рассекђть/рассљчь Nd/(себљd) брћвьa to make a cut in N's/one's eyebrow
На лљвой брћви (or бровќ) бІл мђленький шрђм. Јто мальчќшки в шкћле рассеклќ емџ брћвь кђмнем. He had a small scar on his left eyebrow. It was from the time the boys at school threw a rock at him and cut open his eyebrow.
Ћн упђл и рассёк себљ брћвь. He fell and cut his eyebrow.

Movements that express emotional or psychological states

нахмџривать/нахмџрить брћвиa;
(сурћво) сџпить Colloquial/
насџпить брћвиa 		to knit one's eyebrows, to frown
нахмџриваться/нахмџриться to frown
нахмџренные брћви; насџпленные брћви knitted eyebrows, frowning eyebrows
NB The above expressions indicate dissatisfaction, anger, or a bad mood.
сдвигђть/сдвќнуть брћвиa to knit one's eyebrows, to scowl
сдвќнутые брћви knitted eyebrows, scowling eyebrows
сдвигђться/сдвќнуться: брћвиn сдвќнулись (к перенћсьюd) someone's eyebrows are knitted
NB The above expressions indicate dissatisfaction, anger, or concentration.
Егћ брћви сердќто сдвќнулись к перенћсью. He angrily knitted his eyebrows over the bridge of his nose.
поднимђть/поднїть брћвьa (or брћвиa);
вскќдывать/вскќнуть брћвьa (or брћвиa) 		to raise one's eyebrow(s)
УслІшав іто, Кћля удивлённо пћднял брћви. Upon hearing this, Kolya raised his eyebrows in surprise.
поднимђться/поднїться: брћвиn поднялќсь someone's eyebrows were raised
ползтќ/поползтќ: брћвиn поползлќ ввљрх someone's eyebrows were slowly raised
NB The above expressions with the verbs поднимђть, вскќдывать, поднимђться, and ползтќ indicate surprise; the same meaning applies regardless of whether one or both eyebrows are raised.
изгибђть/изогнџть брћвьa (or брћвиa) to raise one's eyebrow(s) slightly
поводќть/повестќ брћвьюi (or бровїмиi) to move one's eyebrow(s)
NB The above expressions indicate faint surprise, lack of understanding, or mistrust.

Other expressions

из-под бровљйg from under one's eyebrows
Ћн взглянџл на менї из-под бровљй. He shot me a look from under his eyebrows.
Ћн бросќл на менї удивлённый взглїд из-под бровљй. He threw me a look of surprise from under his eyebrows.
Егћ глазђ вљсело блестљли из-под бровљй. His eyes sparkled merrily from under his eyebrows.

Sample texts

Лицћ егћ, покрІтое морщќнами, оживленћ бІло удивќтельною бћдростию, глазђ грћзно сверкђли из-под седІх бровљй. [А. Пџшкин, Капитђнская дћчка] His wrinkled face was enlivened by an amazing vigor, his eyes shone menacingly from under his grey eyebrows. [A. Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter"]
Сквћзь слезџ, нахмџренную лљвую брћвку, сжђтые гџбки тђк и светќлось... дћброе, прямће сљрдце. [Л. Толстћй, Двђ гусђра] Even through the tears, the frowning left brow, the tightly compressed lips there shone... a kind and honest heart. [L. Tolstoy, "Two Hussars"]
Брћви у негћ чёрные, густІе, чџть срослќсь на перенћсице. [В. Шукшќн] His eyebrows are black and thick, grown together slightly over the bridge of his nose. [B. Shukshin]
Тћненькие брћви поползлќ ввљрх, в поросїчьих глазђх засиїло. [В. Аксёнов, Скажќ изєм] The thin brows arched upwards, the piggish eyes lit up. [V. Aksenov, "Say Cheese"]
Марђт бІл человљком мђленького рћста, крљпкого сложљния, с густІми срћсшимися бровїми, котћрыми ћн владљл, кђк лћшадь своќм хвостћм. Тћ есть ћн ќх тћ грћзно сдвигђл, тћ удивлённо приподнимђл ћбе ќли саркастќчески однџ из нќх, чтћ, по-вќдимому, производќло на жљнщин немђлое впечатлљние... [Ф. Искандљр] Murat was a short, stocky man with thick, close-knit eyebrows, which he wielded the way a horse does its tail. That is, now he'd knit them threateningly, now raise them both in surprise, or just one of them sarcastically, which, apparently, impressed the ladies no little... [F. Iskander]
...Ї вќжу хорошћ и сљрую блџзу, и рљдкую седџю бћроду, слегкђ впадђющую в желтизнџ, и тёмные, густІе брћви: онќ кђк-то не грћзно, а печђльно нависђют над глубокћ сидїщими глазђми. [З. Гќппиус, Благоухђние седќн; о Львљ Толстћм] I can clearly see the grey tunic and the sparse grey beard, slightly yellowed, and the thick dark eyebrows: they were not exactly threatening, but rather hung sadly over his deep-set eyes. [Z. Gippius, Sweet Old Age; on L. Tolstoy]
— ВІ ктћ? Дћчь? Племїнница?...
— Когћ?...
— Писђтельницы....
— Јто ї и љсть.
Надбрћвные дугќ поднялќсь — бровљй бІло мђло. [Н. Бербљрова, Курсќв мћй] 		"Who are you? A daughter? A niece?...
"Whose?"
"The writer's."
"That's who I am — the writer."
She raised the arches beneath her sparse eyebrows. [N. Berberova, Italics Are Mine]