brickbats

English

Etymology

From brickbat +‎ -s. The plural only sense (“small rocky particles moving as a group in space”) was coined by the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) and is used chiefly in reference to his writings.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɪkbæts/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɪkˌbæts/
• Hyphenation: brick‧bats

Noun

brickbats pl (plural only)

1. (astronomy, informal) Small rocky particles moving as a group in space, especially as forming rings around planets.

Noun

brickbats

1. plural of brickbat

Verb

brickbats

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of brickbat