brandish

WOTD – 25 January 2007    

English

Etymology

First attested 1340, from Old French brandiss-, from brandir (“to flourish a sword”) (see brand).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbrændɪʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ændɪʃ

Verb

brandish (third-person singular simple present brandishes, present participle brandishing, simple past and past participle brandished)

1. (transitive) To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating skill.

   He brandished his sword at the pirates.

2. (transitive) To bear something with ostentatious show.
   • 2011, Jejomar C. Binay, Binay: Blame corruption on modern consumerism, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, [1]:

     It sets the stage for cutting corners in our principles just so we can brandish a perceived badge of stature.

   • 1749, John Cleland, Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure Part 2

     Long, however, the young spark did not remain before giving it two or three shakes, by way of brandishing it

Synonyms

• flourish, wave

Translations

to move a weapon

• Arabic: يُلوَّح (بسلاح) مهدَِّداً
• Bulgarian: размахвам заплашително (bg) (razmahvam zaplašitelno)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 揮舞 (cmn), 挥舞 (cmn) (huīwǔ), 揮 (cmn), 挥 (cmn) (huī)

• Finnish: heiluttaa (fi), heristää (fi)
• French: brandir (fr)
• German: schwingen (de)
• Icelandic: bregða (is), sveifla (is)

• Ido: brandisar
• Japanese: 振り回す (ja) (ふりまわす, furimawasu), 閃かす (ja) (ひらめかす, hiramekasu)
• Polish: wymachiwać (pl)
• Portuguese: brandir (pt)
• Russian: махать (ru) (maxátʹ), размахивать (ru) (razmáxivatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: crath (gd)
• Spanish: esgrimir (es), blandir (es)
• Swedish: svinga (sv), fäkta (sv)

to bear something with ostentatious show

• Arabic: تلويح مهدَِّد
• Russian: хвастаться (ru) (xvástatʹsja), выставлять напоказ (ru) (vystavljátʹ napokáz)

Noun

brandish (plural brandishes)

1. The act of flourishing or waving.

Synonyms

• flourish