brandish

English

WOTD – 25 January 2007

Etymology

From Middle English braundishen, from Old French brandiss-, stem of brandir (“to flourish a sword”), from Frankish *brandijan, from Frankish *brand (“firebrand; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *brandaz (“fire; flame; sword”). Cognate with Old English brand (“firebrand; torch”). See brand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹændɪʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ændɪʃ

Verb

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

   He brandished his sword at the pirates.

   • (Can we date this quote by Drake and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     the quivering lance which he brandished bright

   • 1906, Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman:

     Back, he spurred like a madman, shouting a curse to the sky,

     With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!

     Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,

2. (transitive) To bear something with ostentatious show.

   to brandish syllogisms

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:

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

   • 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.

Synonyms

• flourish, wave

Translations

to move a weapon

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} يُلوَّح (بسلاح) مهدَِّداً
• Bulgarian: размахвам заплашително (razmahvam zaplašitelno)
• Catalan: brandar (ca), brandejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 揮舞／挥舞 (zh) (huīwǔ), 挥舞 (zh) (huīwǔ), 揮／挥 (zh) (huī), 挥 (zh) (huī)

• Czech: mávat (cs)
• Finnish: heiluttaa (fi), heristää
• French: brandir (fr)
• Galician: brandir
• German: schwingen (de), schwenken (de), hantieren (de), führen (de)
• Greek: κραδαίνω (el) (kradaíno)
• Icelandic: bregða (is), sveifla
• Ido: brandisar (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: bagair
• Japanese: 振り回す (ふりまわす, furimawasu), 閃かす (ひらめかす, hiramekasu)
• Korean: 휘두르다 (ko) (hwidureuda)
• Latin: vibrō
• Maori: whakakakapa, tōwhiri, tōwhiriwhiri, whakahana, whīoioi, pīoioi
• Polish: wymachiwać
• Portuguese: brandir (pt)
• Romanian: flutura (ro), a învârti (ro) (sabia)
• Russian: маха́ть (ru) (maxátʹ), разма́хивать (ru) (razmáxivatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: crath
• Spanish: esgrimir (es), blandir (es)
• Swedish: svinga (sv), fäkta (sv)

to bear something with ostentatious show

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} تلويح مهدَِّد
• German: vorzeigen (de), ausstellen (de), vorführen (de), herzeigen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: whakaoraora
• Russian: хва́статься (ru) (xvástatʹsja), выставля́ть напока́з (vystavljátʹ napokáz)

Noun

brandish (plural brandishes)

1. The act of flourishing or waving.

Synonyms

• flourish