brilliant

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɪljənt/

Adjective

brilliant (comparative more brilliant, superlative most brilliant)

1. Shining brightly.

   the brilliant lights along the promenade

2. (of a colour) Both bright and saturated.

   butterflies with brilliant blue wings

3. (of a voice or sound) Having a sharp, clear tone
4. (Britain) Of surpassing excellence.

   The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant.

5. (Britain) Magnificent or wonderful.
6. Highly intelligent.

   She is a brilliant scientist.

Synonyms

• (shining brightly): glittering, shining
• (of a colour: both light and saturated):
• (of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone):
• (surpassing excellence): excellent, distinctive, striking, superb (obsolete except in UK usage)
• (magnificent or wonderful): exceptional, glorious, magnificent, marvellous/marvelous, splendid, wonderful (obsolete except in UK usage)
• (highly intelligent): brainy, ingenious
• See also Thesaurus:intelligent

Related terms

• brilliance
• brilliantine
• brilliantly
• brilliantness
• beryl (possibly)
• beryllium (possibly)

Translations

shining brightly

• Bulgarian: ярък (bg) (jarǎk), блестящ (bg) (blestjašt)
• Catalan: brillant (ca)
• Czech: zářivý (cs)
• Dutch: stralend (nl)
• Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl
• Finnish: loistava (fi), säteilevä (fi)
• French: brillant (fr)
• Galician: brillante (gl)
• German: strahlend (de)
• Hebrew: מבריק‎ (mavryq)
• Irish: án (ga)

  Old Irish: gríanmar

• Italian: brillante (it), splendente (it), luccicante (it), sgargiante (it), lucente (it)
• Latin: lūculentus (la)
• Maori: koea
• Norwegian: lysende (no), strålende (no)
• Persian: لیان‎ (fa) (liyán), درخشان‎ (fa) (deraxšán), تابان‎ (fa) (tábán)
• Polish: błyszczący (pl)
• Portuguese: brilhante (pt)
• Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), сверка́ющий (ru) (sverkájuščij)
• Spanish: brillante (es)
• Swedish: lysande (sv), glänsande (sv), gnistrande (sv), strålande (sv)
• Tocharian B: lakᵤtse
• Volapük: nidik (vo)
• Welsh: gloyw (cy)

of a colour: both light and saturated

• Bulgarian: искрящ (bg) (iskrjašt)
• Catalan: brillant (ca)
• Finnish: loistava (fi)
• French: brillant (fr)
• Galician: brillante (gl)
• German: strahlend (de), brillant (de)

• Italian: brillante (it)
• Norwegian: strålende (no)
• Portuguese: brilhante (pt)
• Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), со́чный (ru) (sóčnyj)
• Spanish: brillante (es)

of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone

• Catalan: clar (ca)
• Finnish: kirkas (fi)
• French: brillant (fr)
• Galician: claro
• German: brillant (de)

• Italian: squillante (it)
• Norwegian: klar (no)
• Portuguese: claro (pt)
• Russian: хруста́льный (ru) (xrustálʹnyj)

of surpassing excellence

• Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʿaylun)
• Azerbaijani: əla (az), parlaq (az)
• Bulgarian: блестящ (bg) (blestjašt)
• Catalan: brillant (ca)
• Czech: brilantní, skvělý (cs)
• Dutch: briljant (nl), meesterlijk (nl), virtuoos (nl)
• Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl
• Finnish: loistava (fi)
• French: brillant (fr)
• Galician: brillante (gl)
• German: brillant (de)

• Hungarian: briliáns
• Italian: brillante (it), fantastico (it), superlativo (it)
• Latin: lūculentus (la)
• Latvian: spožs, spilgts, izcils
• Norwegian: enestående, genial
• Polish: znakomity (pl), świetny (pl)
• Portuguese: brilhante (pt)
• Punjabi: وَدّھِیا‎ (vaddhiyā)
• Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), блиста́тельный (ru) (blistátelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgoinneil
• Spanish: brillante (es)
• Swedish: mästerlig (sv), virtuosmässig

magnificent or wonderful (primarily UK usage)

• Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʿaylun)
• Azerbaijani: möhtəşəm (az)
• Bulgarian: великолепен (bg) (velikolepen)
• Catalan: brillant (ca)
• Dutch: briljant (nl), schitterend (nl)
• Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl
• Finnish: loistava (fi)
• French: brillant (fr)
• Galician: brillante (gl)
• German: brillant (de)

• Italian: brillante (it), eccezionale (it), meraviglioso (it)
• Latvian: spožs, spilgts, izcils
• Norwegian: enestående, storslagen (no)

  Bokmål: glimrende

• Portuguese: brilhante (pt)
• Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), великоле́пный (ru) (velikolépnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgoinneil
• Spanish: brillante (es)
• Swedish: briljant (sv), lysande (sv), strålande (sv), storslagen (sv)

highly intelligent

• Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʿaylun)
• Catalan: brillant (ca)
• Dutch: briljant (nl), geniaal (nl)
• Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl
• Finnish: nerokas (fi)
• French: brillant (fr)
• Galician: brillante (gl)
• German: genial (de), brillant (de)
• Hebrew: מבריק‎ (mavryq)
• Indonesian: brilian (id)

• Italian: brillante (it), geniale (it), talentuoso (it), di successo
• Latvian: izcils
• Manx: ard-inçhynagh
• Norwegian: enestående, genial
• Polish: genialny (pl)
• Portuguese: brilhante (pt)
• Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij)
• Spanish: brillante (es)
• Swedish: briljant (sv), genialisk (sv), högt (sv) begåvad (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 光明, ^{(please verify)} 燦爛, ^{(please verify)} 灿烂 (chán làn)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 出色的, 出色的 (chū sè de)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 明亮的, ^{(please verify)} 明亮的 (míng liàng de)

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 明亮的, ^{(please verify)} 明亮的 (míng liàng de)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 英明的, ^{(please verify)} 英明的 (yīng míng de)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 輝煌的, ^{(please verify)} 辉煌的 (huī huáng de)

Noun

brilliant (countable and uncountable, plural brilliants)

1. A finely cut gemstone, especially a diamond, cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to maximize light return through the top (called "table") of the stone.
   • 1717, Alexander Pope, The Basset-Table

     This snuffbox — on the hinge see brilliants shine.

   • 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Francesca Carrara, volume 1, page 257:

     On the one, a plain massive band which matched the collar; on the other, a serpent; the tail reached nearly to the elbow, and the head rose a little from the wrist; the tongue of a ruby, the eyes of large brilliants.

   • 1892 October 14, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of a Case of Identity”, in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, London: George Newnes, […], OCLC 4551407, page 57:

     "And the ring?" I asked, glancing at a remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon his finger.

3. (uncountable, printing, dated) The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.
4. Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa.
5. A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Descendants

• (small type size): (German) Brillant

Translations

cut gemstone

• Belarusian: брыльля́нт m (brylʹljánt), брылья́нт m (brylʹjánt)
• Bulgarian: брилянт (bg) m (briljant)
• Central Melanau: belian
• Dutch: briljant (nl) m
• Esperanto: brilianto
• Finnish: briljantti (fi)
• Galician: brillante (gl)
• Georgian: ბრილიანტი (brilianṭi)
• German: Brillant (de) m
• Hungarian: briliáns

• Indonesian: berlian (id)
• Italian: brillante (it) m, gemma (it) f, pietra preziosa f
• Kazakh: гауһар (gawhar), жауһар (jawhar)
• Malay: berlian (ms)
• Persian: برلیان‎ (fa) (brelyân)
• Portuguese: brilhante (pt) m
• Russian: бриллиа́нт (ru) m (brilliánt), брилья́нт (ru) m (brilʹjánt)
• Swedish: briljant (sv) c
• Ukrainian: брилья́нт (uk) m (brylʹjánt)

4-point type

• Dutch: diamant (nl), robijn (nl), halve petit
• Finnish: neljän pisteen fontti
• French: perle (fr)

• German: Diamant (de)
• Italian: perla (it)
• Spanish: perla (es)

hummingbird of the genus Heliodoxa

• Finnish: säihkykolibri

Further reading

• “brilliant” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “brilliant” in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• brilliant at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Crimean Tatar

Etymology

French brillant.

Noun

brilliant

1. brilliant.

Declension

Declension of brilliant

nominative	brilliant
genitive	brilliantnıñ
dative	brilliantqa
accusative	brilliantnı
locative	brilliantta
ablative	brillianttan

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN