Brush

//bɹʌʃ// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    contact with something dangerous or undesirable wordnet
  3. 3
    The act of brushing something. countable, uncountable

    "She gave her hair a quick brush."

  4. 4
    the act of brushing your hair wordnet
  5. 5
    A piece of conductive material, usually carbon, serving to maintain electrical contact between the stationary and rotating parts of a machine. countable, uncountable
Show 19 more definitions
  1. 6
    the act of brushing your teeth wordnet
  2. 7
    A brush-like electrical discharge of sparks. countable, uncountable

    "If there was a sharp point nearby, electricity would stream from it in a luminous brush, a little corposant, and one could blow out candles with the outstreaming “electric wind,” or even get this to turn a little rotor on its pivot."

  3. 8
    a minor short-term fight wordnet
  4. 9
    Wild vegetation, generally larger than grass but smaller than trees. See shrubland. uncountable

    "We broke away toward the north, the tribe howling on our track. Across the open spaces we gained, and in the brush they caught up with us, and more than once it was nip and tuck."

  5. 10
    a bushy tail or part of a bushy tail (especially of the fox) wordnet
  6. 11
    A short, possibly recurrent encounter or experience. countable, uncountable

    "brush with death"

  7. 12
    an implement that has hairs or bristles firmly set into a handle wordnet
  8. 13
    The furry tail of an animal, especially of a fox. countable, uncountable

    "They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too."

  9. 14
    conducts current between rotating and stationary parts of a generator or motor wordnet
  10. 15
    A tuft of hair on the mandibles. countable, uncountable
  11. 16
    momentary contact wordnet
  12. 17
    A short contest, or trial, of speed. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "1860, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage (originally published in Cornhill Magazine Mark and Lord Lufton had been boys together, and his lordship knew that Mark in his heart would enjoy a brush across the country quite as well as he himself."

  13. 18
    a dense growth of bushes wordnet
  14. 19
    An instrument, resembling a brush, used to produce a soft sound from drums or cymbals. countable, uncountable
  15. 20
    An on-screen tool for "painting" a particular colour or texture. countable, uncountable

    "Your bitmap image appears along the painted stroke. If you'd like to permanently create a custom sprite brush, it's fairly easy to adapt an existing MEL file[…]."

  16. 21
    A set of defined design and parameters that produce drawn strokes of a certain texture and quality. countable, uncountable

    "to download brushes for Photoshop"

  17. 22
    In 3D video games, a convex polyhedron, especially one that defines structure of the play area. countable, uncountable
  18. 23
    The floorperson of a poker room, usually in a casino. countable, slang, uncountable
  19. 24
    Evergreen boughs, especially balsam, locally cut and baled for export, usually for use in making wreaths. uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To clean with a brush. transitive

    "Brush your teeth."

  2. 2
    remove with or as if with a brush wordnet
  3. 3
    To untangle or arrange with a brush. transitive

    "Brush your hair."

  4. 4
    touch lightly and briefly wordnet
  5. 5
    To apply with a brush. transitive

    "I am brushing the paint onto the walls."

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    rub with a brush, or as if with a brush wordnet
  2. 7
    To remove with a sweeping motion. transitive

    "She brushed the flour off my clothes."

  3. 8
    clean with a brush wordnet
  4. 9
    To touch with a sweeping motion, or lightly in passing. ambitransitive

    "Her scarf brushed his skin."

  5. 10
    cover by brushing wordnet
  6. 11
    To clean one's teeth by brushing them. intransitive

    "Of course, Halloween does not have to be completely treatless. Plain chocolate candy is okay, provided you remember to brush afterwards."

  7. 12
    sweep across or over wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush”), which could be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusgo-.

Etymology 2

From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush”), which could be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusgo-.

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