Origin: French suffix -ette
Brunette has 5 different meanings across 3 categories:
Noun · Adjective · Proper Noun
A person, especially female, with brown or black hair and, often, dark eyes and darkish or olive skin.
"The new brunette student sat quietly in the corner of the classroom, her dark hair contrasting with her olive complexion."
In plain English: A brunette is someone who has dark brown hair.
"The brunette smiled warmly at her friends across the table."
Usage: Use the noun brunette specifically to refer to women with brown or black hair; for men with similar features, use dark-haired. Avoid using it as an adjective before a person's name in formal writing, where "having brunette hair" is preferred over calling someone "a brunette man."
A surname, from French.
"The Brunettes family has lived in the valley for three generations."
Borrowed from French brunette, the feminine form of brunet, from brun ("brown"). Doublet of burnet.