brass

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɹɑːs/ (UK); /bɹæs/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English bras, inherited from Old English bræs (“brass, bronze”),^[2][3][4] of unknown origin.^[4][5][3] Barnhart and Hoad compare Old Frisian bres, copper, and Middle Low German bras, metal;^[2][4] Etymonline calls it a mystery word with no known cognates beyond English, perhaps akin to French brasser, to brew, because brass is an alloy.^[3] Merriam-Webster suggests a West Germanic word perhaps borrowed from a source in southwest Asia.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

An alloy of copper, in England usually with tin, now called bronze: about 1000, in Ælfric's Grammar.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The modern alloy of about two parts copper to one of zinc is a later use;^[3][7] the use of brass in Bible translations probably means bronze, since brass was unknown in early antiquity.^[3] As a type of hardness, durability or insensibility it is from the late 14th century (1388).^[3][7] A memorial tablet of brass is from 1613.^[7] Effrontery, impudence, is from the 1620s,^[3] and brassy, forward in manner, from 1576.^[2] The brass instruments of a band are a later sense,^[3][8] brass band is from 1827,^[3] and the slang sense of high officials, from their insignia, from 1899.^[3] Getting down to brass tacks is from 1897,^[3] and the brass monkey of cold weather from 1843.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1000 – an alloy of copper.^[2]
• 1388 – a type of hardness.^[7]
• 1576 – brassy, forward.^[2]
• 1613 – a memorial brass.^[7]
• 1620s – effrontery.^[3]
• 1827 – brass band.^[3]
• 1897 – brass tacks.^[3]
• 1899 – high officials (slang).^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc.
2. Objects or ornaments made of this alloy.
3. The brass instruments of a band or orchestra, or their players.
4. A memorial plaque of brass, often with an engraved figure.
5. (informal) High-ranking officers or officials.
6. Impudence; effrontery.

Word family

• brassish
• brassbound
• brassie
• brassware
• brassy
• alpha brass
• beta brass
• brass band

Related words

• braze
• brazen
• brazier
• bronze

Usage notes

In older dialect, brass meant copper money or small change.^[9] Etymonline notes that words for brass in other languages, such as German Messing and French laiton, are also hard to explain.^[3]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)