brain

English Online Dictionary. What means brain‎? What does brain mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English brayn, brain, from Old English bræġn (“brain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bragn, from Proto-Germanic *bragną (“brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mregʰnom (“skull, brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mregʰ- (“marrow, sinciput”) + *-mn̥ (“nominal suffix”).

Cognate with Scots braine, brane (“brain”), North Frisian brayen, brein, Brain (“brain”), Saterland Frisian Brainge, Bräienge (“brain”), West Frisian brein (“brain”), Dutch brein (“brain”), Low German Brägen, Bregen (“brain”) (whence German Bregen (“animal brain”)), Ancient Greek βρεχμός (brekhmós, “front part of the skull, top of the head”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: brān, IPA^(key): /bɹeɪn/
• Homophone: brane
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Noun

brain (countable and uncountable, plural brains)

2. The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.

   Synonyms: encephalon, harns; see also Thesaurus:brain

   1. A part of the brain, especially associated with particular mental functions, abilities, etc.
3. (informal) Mind.
4. (in the plural) Intellect.
   • 2008 Quaker Action (magazine) Rights trampled in rush to deport immigrant workers, Fall 2008, Vol. 89, No. 3, p. 8:

     "We provided a lot of brains and a lot of heart to the response when it was needed," says Sandra Sanchez, director of AFSC's Immigrants' Voice Program in Des Moines.

5. (informal) An intelligent person.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:genius

   1. (plural only) A person who provides the intelligence required for something.

   2. (in the singular) An intellectual or mental capacity.

6. By analogy with a human brain, the part of a machine or computer that performs calculations.

7. (slang, vulgar, uncountable) Oral sex.
8. A loose compartment of a backpack that straps on over the top opening.

Alternative forms

• brayne (obsolete)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• (brain lobes) brain lobe; frontal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe ^{(Category: en:Brain)}

Verb

brain (third-person singular simple present brains, present participle braining, simple past and past participle brained)

1. (transitive) To dash out the brains of; to kill by smashing the skull.
2. (transitive, slang) To strike (someone) on the head.
3. (transitive, figurative) To destroy; to put an end to.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To conceive in the mind; to understand.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:brain.

Translations

Further reading

• Category:brain on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• brain on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• human brain on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• brain on Wikiquote.Wikiquote

Anagrams

• Barin, Brian, Rabin, abrin, bairn, brian

Irish

Noun

brain m

1. inflection of bran:
   1. vocative/genitive singular
   2. nominative/dative plural

Mutation

Middle English

Noun

brain

1. alternative form of brayn

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• broin

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /branʲ/

Noun

brain m

1. inflection of bran:
   1. vocative/genitive singular
   2. nominative plural

Mutation

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brai̯n/
• Rhymes: -ai̯n
• Homophone: braen (“rotten”) (South Wales)

Etymology 1

Noun

brain m pl

1. plural of brân (“crow”)

Etymology 2

Noun

brain m or f (plural breiniau or breinau or breinioedd or breinion)

1. alternative form of braint (“honour”)

Mutation

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “brain”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies