brilliant
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French brillant, from Medieval Latin as if *berilare (“to sparkle like a beryl or other precious stone”), 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
- Of surpassing excellence.
- The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant.
- 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]
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
- 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.
- (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope
- This snuffbox — on the hinge see brilliants shine.
- 1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, A Case of Identity
- “And the ring?” I asked, glancing at a remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon his finger.
- (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope
- (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
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, The Century Co., New York, 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 derived from French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- 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
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Printing
- English dated terms
- Crimean Tatar terms derived from French
- Crimean Tatar lemmas
- Crimean Tatar nouns
