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)
- brilliant green
- brilliant rummynose tetra
Translations[edit]
shining brightly
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of a colour: both light and saturated
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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. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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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.
- 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, 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, page 57:
- "And the ring?" I asked, glancing at a remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon his finger.
- (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, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “brilliant”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “brilliant”, in 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
- English terms with usage examples
- British English
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Printing
- English dated terms
- en:Hummingbirds
- en:Light
- Crimean Tatar terms derived from French
- Crimean Tatar lemmas
- Crimean Tatar nouns