brunt

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɹʌnt/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English and of uncertain origin,^[2][3][4][5] perhaps Scandinavian.^[2] Etymonline suggests Old Norse brundr “sexual heat” or bruna “to advance like wildfire”,^[4] and Random House relates it to German Brunft “rut” and to burn.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sharp blow (about 1325 in the OED; about 1380 in Barnhart).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

From a blow the word passed to an assault or charge (1430)^[7] and then to the shock or force of an attack.^[7] By the early 15th century it meant the chief force or worst part of something,^[4][3] as in bear the brunt,^[4][1] and this is the main surviving sense.^[2][5]

Timeline

• about 1325 – a sharp blow, now obsolete.^[7]
• about 1420 – main force or violence.^[3][4]
• 1430 – an assault or charge.^[7]
• 1598 – the chief stress or violence.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The main force or impact, as of an attack or blow.
2. The heaviest part of a burden.

Usage notes

Random House gives thrust, stress and burden as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press