brag

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by DCDuring (talk | contribs) as of 17:45, 5 January 2020.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

Etymology

From Middle English braggen (“to make a loud noise; to speak boastfully”) of unknown origin. Possibly related to the Middle English adjective brag (“prideful; spirited”), which is probably of Celtic origin;[1] or from Old Norse bragr (“best; foremost; poetry”);[2] or through Old English from Old Norse braka (“to creak”).[3]

Pronunciation

Noun

brag (plural brags)

  1. A boast or boasting; bragging; ostentatious pretence or self-glorification.
    • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Caesar […] made not here his brag / Of "came", and "saw", and "overcame".
  2. The thing which is boasted of.
    • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Beauty is Nature's brag.
    • 2015 October 27, Matt Preston, The Simple Secrets to Cooking Everything Better‎[1], Plum, →ISBN, page 192:
      You could just use ordinary shop-bought kecap manis to marinade the meat, but making your own is easy, has a far more elegant fragrance and is, above all, such a great brag! Flavouring kecap manis is an intensely personal thing, so try this version now and next time cook the sauce down with crushed, split lemongrass and a shredded lime leaf.
  3. (by ellipsis) The card game three card brag.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Chesterfield to this entry?)

Derived terms

Translations

boast — see boast

Verb

brag (third-person singular simple present brags, present participle bragging, simple past and past participle bragged)

  1. (intransitive) To boast; to talk with excessive pride about what one has, is able to do, or has done; often as an attempt to popularize oneself.
    to brag of one's exploits, courage, or money
    • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, / Brags of his substance, not of ornament.
      Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade
  2. (transitive) To boast of.

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

brag (comparative bragger, superlative braggest)

  1. Excellent; first-rate.
  2. (archaic) Brisk; full of spirits; boasting; pretentious; conceited.
    • (Can we date this quote by Ben Jonson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
    a brag young fellow

Adverb

brag (comparative more brag, superlative most brag)

  1. (obsolete) proudly; boastfully
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Fuller to this entry?)

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “brag”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “wile”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.;
  3. ^ “brag”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse brak.

Noun

brag n (singular definite braget, plural indefinite brag)

  1. bang, crash

Inflection

Declension of brag
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative brag braget brag bragene
genitive brags bragets brags bragenes

Verb

brag

  1. (deprecated template usage) imperative of brage

North Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian bregge, which derives from Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ. Cognates include West Frisian brêge.

Noun

brag f (plural bragen)

  1. (Föhr-Amrum) bridge
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=brag&oldid=58300845"