1. Dark coppery red or reddish brown: The shade auburn was Ruth's favorite color, so she had her hair dyed that color!
2. Etymology: from Old French auborne, from Middle Latin alburnus, "off-white, whitish"; from Latin albus, "white".

Auburn came into English meaning "yellowish-white, flaxen", but shifted in the 16th century to "reddish-brown" under the influence of Middle English brun, "brown", which also changed the spelling.

Another source states that it comes from Old French and influenced in the sense by the similarity of the variant spelling abrun to brun, "brown". From Medieval Latin alburnus "whitish" and Latin albus, "white".