'brownout' definitions:

Definition of 'brownout'

From: WordNet
noun
Darkness resulting from the extinction of lights (as in a city invisible to enemy aircraft) [syn: blackout, brownout, dimout]

Definition of 'brownout'

From: GCIDE
  • brownout \brown"out\ n.
  • 1. darkness resulting from the extinction of lights (as in a city invisible to enemy aircraft).
  • Syn: blackout, dimout. [WordNet 1.5]
  • 2. a partial reduction in the amount of electric power available to customers in a region, such as by reduction of voltage or selective cutoff of certain customers; -- it occurs for example in summer when the demand for electricity for air-conditioning exceeds the supply, or when power to certain customers is cut off by a severe storm. It is contrasted with blackout, which is the total loss of electrical power in a region. [PJC]