BRIONY. Same as BRYONY.
BRIQUETTE, bri-ket', _n._ a brick-shaped block of coal formed from
coal-dust. [Fr. _briquette_, dim. of _brique_, a BRICK.]
BRISK, brisk, _adj._ full of life and spirit: active: sharp: effervescing,
as liquors.--_v.t._ to enliven, freshen.--_v.i._ to cheer up.--_adjs._
BRISK'ISH, BRISK'Y, (_Shak._).--_adv._ BRISK'LY.--_n._ BRISK'NESS. [Dr
Murray notes that the word is first found in the end of the 16th century;
prob. W. _brysg_, swift of foot; cf. Gael. _brisg_, Ir. _briosg_.]
BRISKET, brisk'et, _n._ the breast of an animal: the part of the breast
next to the ribs. [Fr. _brechet_, _brichet_.]
BRISTLE, bris'l, _n._ a short, stiff hair, as of swine.--_v.i._ to stand
erect, as bristles.--_v.t._ to cover, as with bristles: to make
bristly:--_pr.p._ bris'tling; _pa.p._ brist'led.--_adj._ BRISTLED
(bris'ld), furnished with bristles.--_n._ BRIST'LINESS.--_adj._ BRIST'LY,
set with bristles: rough.--TO SET UP ONE'S BRISTLES, to show temper. [A.S.
_byrst_; Scot. _birse_; cog. with Ger. _borste_, Ice. _burst_.]
BRISTOL-BOARD, bris'tul-b[=o]rd, _n._ a smooth pasteboard.--_ns._
BRIS'TOL-BRICK, an earthy material for scouring cutlery, like bath-brick;
BRIS'TOL-D[=I]'AMOND, a kind of crystal found near Bristol. [From the town
of _Bristol_, in England.]
BRISURE, bri-zh[=u]r', _n._ (_fort._) any part of a rampart or parapet
which breaks off at an angle from the general direction: (_her._) a
variation of a coat-of-arms, showing the relation of a younger to the main
line. [Fr.--_briser_, to break.]
BRITANNIA-METAL, brit-an'i-a-met'l, _n._ a metallic alloy largely used in
the manufacture of spoons, &c.
BRITANNIC, brit-an'ik, _adj._ pertaining to _Britannia_ or Great Britain:
British.--_adj._ BRITISH, in ethnography, Old Celtic as opposed to
Anglo-Saxon: pertaining to Great Britain or its people--_ns._ BRIT'ISHER, a
British subject (Amer.); BRIT'ON, a native of Britain.
BRITTLE, brit'l, _adj._ apt to break: easily broken: frail.--_ns._
BRITT'LENESS; BRITT'LE-STARS, or _Sand-stars_, one of the classes of
Echinodermata, including forms not far removed from starfishes. [A.S.
_bréotan_, to break.]
BRITZKA, BRITZSKA, brits'ka, _n._ an open four-wheeled carriage with
shutters to close at pleasure, and only one seat.--Also BRITSCHKA, BRITSKA.
[Polish _bryczka_, dim. of _bryka_, a wagon.]
BROACH, br[=o]ch, _n._ a tapering, pointed instrument, used chiefly for
boring: a spit: a church spire.--_v.t._ to pierce as a cask, to tap: to
open up or begin: to utter.--_n._ BROACH'ER, a broach or spit: one who
broaches or utters.--TO BROACH THE ADMIRAL, to steal some liquor from a
cask while being carried by rail or otherwise, or when in store; TO BROACH
TO, to turn a ship to windward. [Fr. _brocher_, to pierce, _broche_, an
iron pin--L. _brocchus_, a projecting tooth.]
BROAD, brawd, _adj._ wide: large, free or open: outspoken: coarse,
indelicate: of pronunciation, e.g. a broad accent.--_advs._ BROAD,
BROAD'LY.--_ns._ BROAD'-AR'ROW, a mark, thus ([Broad arrow]), stamped on
materials belonging to Government; BROAD'-BRIM, a hat with a broad brim,
such as those worn by Quakers: (_coll._) a Quaker.--_adj._ BROAD'CAST,
scattered or sown abroad by the hand: dispersed widely.--_adv._ by throwing
at large from the hand, only in phrases, as, 'to scatter broadcast,'
&c.--_v.t._ to scatter freely.--_n._ BROAD'CLOTH, a fine kind of woollen
fulled cloth, used for men's garments.--_v.t._ BROAD'EN, to make broad or
broader.--_v.i._ to grow broad or extend in breadth.--_adj._ BROAD'-EYED
(_Shak._), having a wide or extended survey.--_ns._ BROAD'-GAUGE (see
GAUGE); BROAD'NESS.--_n.pl._ BROADS, lake-like expansions of rivers.--_ns._
BROAD'SIDE, the side of a ship: all the guns on one side of a ship of war,
or their simultaneous discharge: a sheet of paper printed on one side,
otherwise named BROAD'SHEET; BROAD'SWORD, a cutting sword with a broad
blade: a man armed with such a sword.--BROAD CHURCH, a party within the
Church of England which advocates a broad and liberal interpretation of
dogmatic definitions and creed subscription--the name was first used in
1833 by W. J. Conybeare. [A.S. _brád_, Goth. _braids_.]
BROBDINGNAGIAN, brob-ding-n[=a]'ji-an, _n._ an inhabitant of the fabulous
region of _Brobdingnag_ in _Gulliver's Travels_, the people of which were
of great stature--hence a gigantic person.--_adj._ gigantic.--_adj._
BROBDINGNAG', immense.
BROCADE, brok-[=a]d', _n._ a silk stuff on which figures are
wrought.--_adj._ BROCAD'ED, woven or worked in the manner of brocade:
dressed in brocade. [It. _broccato_, Fr. _brocart_, from It. _broccare_,
Fr. _brocher_, to prick, stitch; from root of BROACH.]
BROCAGE, br[=o]k'[=a]j, _n._ Obsolete spelling of BROKAGE (q.v. under
BROKER).
BROCARD, brok'ärd, _n._ an elementary law or principle: a canon: (_Fr._) a
gibe. [Fr. _brocard_, Low L. _brocarda_, from _Brocard_ or Burchard, Bishop
of Worms, who published a book of ecclesiastical rules.]
BROCCOLI, brok'o-li, _n._ a cultivated kind of cabbage resembling
cauliflower, of which it is originally a hardy variety. [It.; _pl._ of
_broccolo_, a sprout, dim. of _brocco_, a skewer, a shoot.]
BROCH, broh, _n._ the local name applied in the north of Scotland to the
ancient dry-built circular castles, known also to the Gaelic-speaking
people as _duns_, and to antiquaries as _Pictish towers_.--Also BROGH and
BROUGH. [Old Norse _borg_; A.S. _burh_.]
BROCH, br[=o]ch, obsolete spelling of BROACH.
BROCHURE, bro-sh[=oo]r', _n._ a pamphlet. [Lit. a small book stitched,
Fr.--_brocher_, to stitch--_broche_, a needle. See BROACH.]
BROCK, brok, _n._ a badger--hence, from the smell, a dirty, stinking
fellow.--_adj._ BROCKED (_Scot._), variegated, having a mixture of black
and white. [From the Celt., as in Gael. _broc_, a badger, which is from
Gael. _breac_, speckled.]
BRODE, br[=o]d, _adv._ (_Spens._). Same as ABROAD.