brush English · revision 6521
16 Oct 2026, 10:27 by bogdan “en10k b0264: brush … complain” current version
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+ English has two main words spelled brush: the undergrowth or brushwood, and the implement with bristles; they may come from the same French source.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /bɹʌʃ/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ {{homograph|1|undergrowth}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=borrowing|attested=1330}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The undergrowth is Middle English brusche, [[bor|xno|bruce|t=brushwood]], Old French [[m|fro|broce|t=bush, thicket]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) from Gallo-Romance *brocia, perhaps from *brūcus, heather (see [[brier]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) or, as Hoad and SOED suggest, ultimately from Latin [[m|la|bruscum|t=knot on a maple]].^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) MWU suggests a Celtic origin, comparing Old Irish fróech, heather.^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Loppings of trees and hedges: 1330 in the OED,^(OED 1989) before 1338, in Mannyng's ''Chronicle'', in Barnhart.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Small trees and shrubs, a thicket or undergrowth, is from about 1440.^(OED 1989) Thinly settled scrubland, as in Australia and North America, is ''the brush''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023) Barnhart notes that the many forms in English and French suggest the two brushes were confused and may once have been one word.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1330 – loppings of trees.^(OED 1989)
+ * c. 1440 – undergrowth, a thicket.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Dense [[undergrowth]] of shrubs and small trees; a [[thicket]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Cut branches; [[brushwood]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Thinly settled country covered with scrub.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[brushwood]]
+
+ {{homograph|2|implement with bristles}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=1377}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The implement is Middle English brusshe, [[bor|fro|broisse|t=brush]], modern French brosse,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) usually derived from Vulgar Latin *bruscia, a bunch of new shoots used to sweep away dust,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) perhaps the same word as the undergrowth;^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) Etymonline suggests a Germanic *bruskaz, underbrush.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ An implement for sweeping or scrubbing: 1377 in the OED, about 1378, in a version of ''Piers Plowman'', in Barnhart.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ A brush for applying paint is from the late 15th century,^(Etymonline) and one for playing drums from 1927.^(Etymonline) The verb, to beat or rub with a brush, is from the mid-15th century, and to clean clothing with a brush from the late 15th century.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) To touch lightly in passing is from the 1640s.^(Etymonline) ''Brush up'', to revive one's knowledge, is from 1788, and ''brush off'', to dismiss, from 1941.^(Etymonline) A fox's bushy tail is its brush.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023) A brief encounter or skirmish, as in ''a brush with the law'', may be from a separate brush, to rush, from Old French brosser.^(Hoad 1986)^(AHD)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1377 – a brush for sweeping.^(OED 1989)
+ * mid-15th century – the verb.^(Etymonline)
+ * late 15th century – a paintbrush.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1640s – to touch lightly.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1788 – brush up.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1941 – brush off.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # An implement with [[bristle|alt=bristles]], hair or wire set in a handle, used for cleaning, painting or grooming.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # An act of brushing, or a light touch.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # A brief, often unpleasant encounter: ''a brush with death''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # The bushy tail of a [[fox]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To clean, groom or apply with a brush.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # To touch lightly in passing.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''brush aside'' or ''brush off'': to dismiss or ignore.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[paintbrush]]
+ * [[toothbrush]]
+ * [[hairbrush]]
+ * [[brush-off]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[broom]]
+ * [[brier]]
+ * [[bristle]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}