Brininess Brin"i·ness noun The state or quality of being briny; saltness; brinishness.

Brinish Brin"ish adjective Like brine; somewhat salt; saltish. " Brinish tears." Shak.

Brinishness Brin"ish·ness noun State or quality of being brinish.

Brinjaree Brin"ja·ree` noun [ Native name.] (Zoology) A rough-haired East Indian variety of the greyhound.

Brink Brink noun [ Danish brink edge, verge; akin to Swedish brink declivity, hill, Icelandic brekka ; confer LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.] The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. "The brink of vice." Bp. Porteus. "The brink of ruin." Burke.

The plashy brink of weedy lake.
Bryant.

Briny Brin"y adjective [ From Brine .] Of or pertaining to brine, or to the sea; partaking of the nature of brine; salt; as, a briny taste; the briny flood.

Brioche Bri`oche" noun [ French] 1. A light cake made with flour, butter, yeast, and eggs.

2. A knitted foot cushion.

Briolette Bri`o·lette" noun [ French] An oval or pearshaped diamond having its entire surface cut in triangular facets.

Briony Bri"o·ny noun See Bryony . Tennyson.

Briquette Bri·quette" noun [ Also briquet .] [ French, dim. of brique brick.] 1. A block of compacted coal dust, or peat, etc., for fuel.

2. A block of artificial stone in the form of a brick, used for paving; also, a molded sample of solidified cement or mortar for use as a test piece for showing the strength of the material.

Brisk Brisk adjective [ Confer W. brysg , from brys haste, Gael. briosg quick, lively, Ir. broisg a start, leap, jerk.] 1. Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action; lively; spirited; quick.

Cheerily, boys; be brick awhile.
Shak.

Brick toil alternating with ready ease.
Wordworth.

2. Full of spirit of life; effervesc...ng, as liquors; sparkling; as, brick cider.

Syn. -- Active; lively; agile; alert; nimble; quick; sprightly; vivacious; gay; spirited; animated.

Brisk Brisk transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Bricked ; present participle & verbal noun Bricking .] To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate; to take, or cause to take, an erect or bold attitude; -- usually with up .

Brisket Bris"ket noun [ Middle English bruskette , Old French bruschet , French bréchet , brichet ; probably of Celtic origin; confer W. brysced the breast of a slain animal, brisket, Corn. vrys breast, Armor. brusk , bruched , the front of the chest, Gael. brisgein the cartilaginous part of a bone.] That part of the breast of an animal which extends from the fore legs back beneath the ribs; also applied to the fore part of a horse, from the shoulders to the bottom of the chest. [ See Illust. of Beef .]

Briskly Brisk"ly adverb In a brisk manner; nimbly.

Briskness Brisk"ness noun Liveliness; vigor in action; quickness; gayety; vivacity; effervescence.

Bristle Bris"tle (brĭs"s'l) noun [ Middle English bristel , brustel , Anglo-Saxon bristl , byrst ; akin to Dutch borstel , Old High German burst , German borste , Icelandic burst , Swedish borst , and to Sanskrit bhrshti edge, point, and prob, Latin fastigium extremity, Greek 'a`flaston stern of a ship, and English brush , burr , perhaps to brad . √96.] 1. A short, stiff, coarse hair, as on the back of swine.

2. (Botany) A stiff, sharp, roundish hair. Gray.

Bristle Bris"tle transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bristled ; present participle & verbal noun Bristling ] 1. To erect the bristles of; to cause to stand up, as the bristles of an angry hog; -- sometimes with up .

Now for the bare-picked bone of majesty
Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest.
Shak.

Boy, bristle thy courage up.
Shak.

2. To fix a bristle to; as, to bristle a thread.

Bristle Bris"tle intransitive verb 1. To rise or stand erect, like bristles.

His hair did bristle upon his head.
Sir W. Scott.

2. To appear as if covered with bristles; to have standing, thick and erect, like bristles.

The hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten thousand bayonets.
Thackeray.

Ports bristling with thousands of masts.
Macaulay.

3. To show defiance or indignation.

To bristle up , to show anger or defiance.

Bristle-pointed Bris"tle-point`ed adjective (Botany) Terminating in a very fine, sharp point, as some leaves.

Bristle-shaped Bris"tle-shaped` adjective Resembling a bristle in form; as, a bristle-shaped leaf.

Bristletail Bris"tle·tail` noun (Zoology) An insect of the genera Lepisma , Campodea , etc., belonging to the Thysanura.

Bristliness Bris"tli·ness noun The quality or state of having bristles.

Bristly Bris"tly adjective Thick set with bristles, or with hairs resembling bristles; rough.

The leaves of the black mulberry are somewhat bristly .
Bacon.

Bristol Bris"tol noun A seaport city in the west of England.

Bristol board , a kind of fine pasteboard, made with a smooth but usually unglazed surface. -- Bristol brick , a brick of siliceous matter used for polishing cultery; -- originally manufactured at Bristol . -- Bristol stone , rock crystal, or brilliant crystals of quartz, found in the mountain limestone near Bristol , and used in making ornaments, vases, etc. When polished, it is called Bristol diamond .

Brisure Bri·sure" noun [ French] 1. (Fort.) Any part of a rampart or parapet which deviates from the general direction.

2. (Her.) A mark of cadency or difference.

Brit, Britt Brit, Britt noun (Zoology) (a) The young of the common herring; also, a small species of herring; the sprat. (b) The minute marine animals (chiefly Entomostraca) upon which the right whales feed.

Britannia Bri·tan"ni·a noun [ From Latin Britannia Great Britain.] A white-metal alloy of tin, antimony, bismuth, copper, etc. It somewhat resembles silver, and is used for table ware. Called also Britannia metal .

Britannic Bri·tan"nic adjective [ Latin Britannicus , from Britannia Great Britain.] Of or pertaining to Great Britain; British; as, her Britannic Majesty.

Brite, Bright Brite, Bright transitive verb To be or become overripe, as wheat, barley, or hops. [ Prov. Eng.]

Briticism Brit"i·cism noun A word, phrase, or idiom peculiar to Great Britain; any manner of using a word or words that is peculiar to Great Britain.

British Brit"ish (brĭt"ĭsh) adjective [ Anglo-Saxon Brittisc , Bryttisc .] Of or pertaining to Great Britain or to its inhabitants; -- sometimes restricted to the original inhabitants.

British gum , a brownish substance, very soluble in cold water, formed by heating dry starch at a temperature of about 600° Fahr. It corresponds, in its properties, to dextrin, and is used, in solution, as a substitute for gum in stiffering goods. -- British lion , the national emblem of Great Britain. -- British seas , the four seas which surround Great Britain.

British Brit"ish noun plural People of Great Britain.

Britisher Brit"ish·er noun An Englishman; a subject or inhabitant of Great Britain, esp. one in the British military or naval service. [ Now used jocosely]

Briton Brit"on adjective [ Anglo-Saxon bryten Britain.] British. [ Obsolete] Spenser. -- noun A native of Great Britain.

Brittle Brit"tle adjective [ Middle English britel , brutel , Anglo-Saxon bryttian to dispense, from breótan to break; akin to Icelandic brytja , Swedish bryta , Danish bryde . Confer Brickle .] Easily broken; apt to break; fragile; not tough or tenacious.

Farewell, thou pretty, brittle piece
Of fine-cut crystal.
Cotton.

Brittle silver ore , the mineral stephanite.

Brittle star Brit"tle star` (brĭt"t'l stär`), (Zoology) Any species of ophiuran starfishes. See Ophiuroidea .

Brittlely Brit"tle·ly adverb In a brittle manner. Sherwood.

Brittleness Brit"tle·ness noun Aptness to break; fragility.

Britzska Britz"ska (brĭts"kȧ) noun [ Russian britshka ; confer Pol. bryczka , dim. of bryka freight wagon.] A long carriage, with a calash top, so constructed as to give space for reclining at night, when used on a journey.

Brize Brize (brīz) noun The breeze fly. See Breeze . Shak.

Broach Broach noun [ Middle English broche , French broche , from Late Latin brocca ; probably of Celtic origin; confer W. proc thrust, stab, Gael. brog awl. Confer Brooch .] 1. A spit. [ Obsolete]

He turned a broach that had worn a crown.
Bacon.

2. An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers. [ Prov. Eng.] Forby.

3. (Mech.) (a) A tool of steel, generally tapering, and of a polygonal form, with from four to eight cutting edges, for smoothing or enlarging holes in metal; sometimes made smooth or without edges, as for burnishing pivot holes in watches; a reamer. The broach for gun barrels is commonly square and without taper. (b) A straight tool with file teeth, made of steel, to be pressed through irregular holes in metal that cannot be dressed by revolving tools; a drift.

4. (Masonry) A broad chisel for stonecutting.

5. (Architecture) A spire rising from a tower. [ Local, Eng.]

6. A clasp for fastening a garment. See Brooch .

7. A spitlike start, on the head of a young stag.

8. The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping. Knight.

9. The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.

Broach Broach transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Broached ; present participle & verbal noun Broaching .] [ French brocher , from broche . See Broach , noun ] 1. To spit; to pierce as with a spit.

I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point.
Shak.

2. To tap; to pierce, as a cask, in order to draw the liquor. Hence: To let out; to shed, as blood.

Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast.
Shak.

3. To open for the first time, as stores.

You shall want neither weapons, victuals, nor aid; I will open the old armories, I will broach my store, and will bring forth my stores.
Knolles.

4. To make public; to utter; to publish first; to put forth; to introduce as a topic of conversation.

Those very opinions themselves had broached .
Swift.

5. To cause to begin or break out. [ Obsolete] Shak.

6. (Masonry) To shape roughly, as a block of stone, by chiseling with a coarse tool. [ Scot. & North of Eng.]

7. To enlarge or dress (a hole), by using a broach.

To broach to (Nautical) , to incline suddenly to windward, so as to lay the sails aback, and expose the vessel to the danger of oversetting.

Broacher Broach"er noun 1. A spit; a broach.

On five sharp broachers ranked, the roast they turned.
Dryden.

2. One who broaches, opens, or utters; a first publisher or promoter.

Some such broacher of heresy.
Atterbury.

Broad Broad adjective [ Compar. Broader ; superl. Broadest .] [ Middle English brod , brad , Anglo-Saxon brād ; akin to Old Saxon brēd , Dutch breed , German breit , Icelandic brei...r , Swedish & Danish bred , Goth. braids . Confer Breadth .] 1. Wide; extend in breadth, or from side to side; -- opposed to narrow ; as, a broad street, a broad table; an inch broad .

2. Extending far and wide; extensive; vast; as, the broad expanse of ocean.

3. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full. " Broad and open day." Bp. Porteus.

4. Fig.: Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited; not restrained; -- applied to any subject, and retaining the literal idea more or less clearly, the precise meaning depending largely on the substantive.

A broad mixture of falsehood.
Locke.

Hence: -

5. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.

The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.
D. Daggett.

In a broad , statesmanlike, and masterly way.
E. Everett.

6. Plain; evident; as, a broad hint.

7. Free; unrestrained; unconfined.

As broad and general as the casing air.
Shak.

8. (Fine Arts) Characterized by breadth. See Breadth .

9. Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humor.

10. Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent.

» Broad is often used in compounds to signify wide , large , etc.; as, broad -chested, broad -shouldered, broad -spreading, broad -winged.

Broad acres . See under Acre . -- Broad arrow , originally a pheon. See Pheon , and Broad arrow under Arrow . -- As broad as long , having the length equal to the breadth; hence, the same one way as another; coming to the same result by different ways or processes.

It is as broad as long , whether they rise to others, or bring others down to them.
L'Estrange.

Broad pennant . See under Pennant .

Syn. -- Wide; large; ample; expanded; spacious; roomy; extensive; vast; comprehensive; liberal.

Broad Broad noun 1. The broad part of anything; as, the broad of an oar.

2. The spread of a river into a sheet of water; a flooded fen. [ Local, Eng.] Southey.

3. A lathe tool for turning down the insides and bottoms of cylinders. Knight.

Broad Church Broad" Church` (Eccl.) A portion of the Church of England, consisting of persons who claim to hold a position, in respect to doctrine and fellowship, intermediate between the High Church party and the Low Church, or evangelical, party. The term has been applied to other bodies of men holding liberal or comprehensive views of Christian doctrine and fellowship.

Side by side with these various shades of High and Low Church, another party of a different character has always existed in the Church of England. It is called by different names: Moderate, Catholic, or Broad Church , by its friends; Latitudinarian or Indifferent, by its enemies. Its distinctive character is the desire of comprehension. Its watch words are charity and toleration.
Conybeare.

Broad gauge Broad" gauge` (Railroad) A wider distance between the rails than the "standard" gauge of four feet eight inches and a half. See Gauge .

Broad seal Broad" seal` The great seal of England; the public seal of a country or state.

Broad-brimmed Broad"-brimmed` adjective Having a broad brim.

A broad-brimmed flat silver plate.
Tatler.

Broad-horned Broad"-horned` adjective Having horns spreading widely.

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