brink

English

Etymology

Middle English brinke, from Old Norse *brenka, *brinka, from Proto-Germanic *brinkaz (“hill, edge (of land)”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰren- (“project”). Cognate with Dutch brink (“grassland”), dialectal German Brunkel, Icelandic brekka (“slope”); also Tocharian B prenke (“island”), Irish braine (“prow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɹɪŋk/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Noun

brink (plural brinks)

1. The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge.

   the brink of a river

2. (figurative) The edge or border

   the brink of success

   He's on the brink of madness.

Derived terms

• brinkmanship
• on the brink

Translations

edge

• Armenian: եզր (hy) (ezr), ծայր (hy) (cayr)
• Bulgarian: край (bg) m (kraj), ръб (bg) m (rǎb)
• Czech: pokraj m, hrana (cs) f, okraj (cs) m
• Danish: kant, rand (da)
• Dutch: rand (nl), steile rand
• Finnish: reuna (fi), parras (fi)
• French: bord (fr) m, lisière (fr) f
• German: Rand (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: broinne m
• Italian: orlo (it), bordo (it) m, ciglio (it) m
• Maori: ripa tauārai
• Portuguese: beira (pt) f
• Russian: край (ru) m (kraj), грань (ru) f (granʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: oir f
• Spanish: borde (es) m

Further reading

• “brink”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “brink”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch brinc, from Old Dutch brink, from Proto-Germanic *brinkaz.

Cognate with English brink.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

brink m (plural brinken, diminutive brinkje n)

1. village green, functioning as a central square
2. edge or margin of a field
3. edge or margin of a hill
4. grassy edge or margin of a strip of land
5. grassland

Derived terms

• brinkdorp

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Middle English

Noun

brink

1. Alternative form of brinke