brilliant
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
Adjective[edit]
brilliant (comparative more brilliant, superlative most brilliant)
- Shining brightly.
- the brilliant lights along the promenade
- (of a colour) Both bright and saturated.
- butterflies with brilliant blue wings
- (of a voice or sound) Having a sharp, clear tone
- (Britain) Of surpassing excellence.
- The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant.
- (Britain) Magnificent or wonderful.
- Highly intelligent.
- She is a brilliant scientist.
Synonyms[edit]
- (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[edit]
- brilliance
- brilliantine
- brilliantly
- brilliantness
- beryl (possibly)
- beryllium (possibly)
Translations[edit]
shining brightly
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of a colour: both light and saturated
of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone
of surpassing excellence
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magnificent or wonderful (primarily UK usage)
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highly intelligent
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- 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
Noun[edit]
brilliant (countable and uncountable, plural brilliants)
- 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.
- 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.
- 1717, Alexander Pope, The Basset-Table
- (uncountable, printing, dated) The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.
- Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa.
- A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.
Descendants[edit]
- (small type size): (German) Brillant
Translations[edit]
cut gemstone
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4-point type
hummingbird of the genus Heliodoxa
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Further reading[edit]
- 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
Crimean Tatar[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
brilliant
Declension[edit]
Declension of brilliant
| nominative | brilliant |
|---|---|
| genitive | brilliantnıñ |
| dative | brilliantqa |
| accusative | brilliantnı |
| locative | brilliantta |
| ablative | brillianttan |
References[edit]
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from French
- English terms derived from French
- English terms derived from Italian
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms with audio links
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- British English
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Printing
- English dated terms
- en:Hummingbirds
- Crimean Tatar terms derived from French
- Crimean Tatar lemmas
- Crimean Tatar nouns