brass
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brass¹
- /bɹɑːs/ UK
- /bɹas/ Multicultural London English, also
- /bɹas/ Northern England, Scotland
- /bɹæs/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːs, -æs
Where it comes from
From Middle English bras, bres, from Old English bræs (“brass, bronze”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps representing a backformation from Proto-Germanic *brasnaz (“brazen”), from or related to *brasō (“fire, pyre”). Compare Old Norse and Icelandic bras (“solder”), Icelandic brasa (“to harden in the fire”), Swedish brasa (“a small controlled fire”), Danish brase (“to fry”); French braser ("to solder"; > English braise) from the same Germanic root. Compare also Middle Dutch braspenninc ("a silver coin", literally, "silver-penny"; > Dutch braspenning), Old Frisian bress (“copper”), Middle Low German bras (“metal, ore”).
In the military sense an ellipsis of the brass hats.
noun brasses
- A memorial or sepulchral tablet usually made of brass or latten: a monumental brass.
- Fittings, utensils, or other items made of brass.
- A class of wind instruments, usually made of metal (such as brass), that use vibrations of the player's lips to produce sound; a band or the section of an orchestra that features such instruments. A few measures later, the brass comes in strong!
- Spent cartridge casings (usually made of brass): the part of the cartridge left over after bullets or shells have been fired.
- The color of brass (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- High-ranking officers: the brass hats. The brass are not going to like this.
-
A brave or foolhardy attitude; impudence.
You've got a lot of brass telling me to do that!
Similar: bronze
- Money.
- Inferior composition.
adjective more brass · most brass
- Made of brass, of or pertaining to brass.
- Of the color of brass.
- Impertinent, bold: brazen. At the Council board, I hope to charge him with that he cannot answer, and yet I know his face is brass enough.
- Bad, annoying; as wordplay applied especially to brass instruments. Grindoff, the miller, 'and the leader of a very brass band of most unpopular performers, with a thorough base accompaniment of at least fifty vices,' was played by Miss Saunders.
- Of inferior composition. As Honest Plush Brannon then, Mr. Beery is one of San Francisco's fancier con men and hence more brass than plush
verb brasses · brassing · brassed
- To coat with brass.
brass²
- /bɹɑːs/ UK
- /bɹas/ Multicultural London English, also
- /bɹas/ Northern England, Scotland
- /bɹæs/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːs, -æs
Where it comes from
By ellipsis from brass nail, in turn from "nail[ing]" (fig.) and "brass blonde" (see "brazen"); and also shortened from Cockney Rhyming slang brass flute for "prostitute".
noun brasses
- A prostitute. Health service glasses, gigolos and brasses, round or skinny bottoms
adjective
- Brass monkey; cold.
brass³
- /bɹɑːs/ UK
- /bɹas/ Multicultural London English, also
- /bɹas/ Northern England, Scotland
- /bɹæs/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːs, -æs
Where it comes from
From Portuguese braça and Spanish braza, from Old Galician-Portuguese and Old Spanish braça, from Latin brachia, variant of bracchium (“arm, cubit”), from Ancient Greek βραχίων (brakhíōn, “upper arm”).
noun brasses
-
Synonym of brace, a traditional unit of measure equivalent to a fathom (6 feet) or about 1.6 m, especially as the Spanish braza and Portuguese braça, also French brasse.
Similar: brace
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: plaque, organization, organisation, administration, establishment, governance, nerve, face, cheek, boldness, effrontery, memorial tablet, steel, bronze, handgun, copper
Translations
Every language
noun alloy of copper and zinc
| Español | latón, azófar, alatón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 황동 hwangdong, 놋쇠 notsoe |
| 日本語 | 黄銅 ōdō, 真鍮 shinchū |
| 中文 | 黃銅 /黄铜 huángtóng |
| हिन्दी | पीतल pītal |
| Português | latão |
| Français | laiton |
| Deutsch | Messing |
| Italiano | ottone |
| Ελληνικά | ορείχαλκος oreíchalkos |
| Română | alamă |
| Русский | лату́нь latúnʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đồng thau |
| العربية | شَبَه šabah, صُفْر ṣufr, صُفَّر ṣuffar |
| עברית | פְּלִיז pliz |
noun made of brass (attributive use)
| Português | de latão |
|---|---|
| Français | en laiton |
| Deutsch | messingen, aus Messing |
| Русский | лату́нный latúnnyj |
noun class of wind instruments
| Español | cobres |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 銅管 /铜管 tóngguǎn |
| Português | metais |
| Français | cuivres |
| Deutsch | Blechblasinstrumente, Blech |
| Italiano | ottoni |
| Română | alămuri |
| Русский | ме́дные духовы́е инструме́нты médnyje duxovýje instruménty |
noun related to brass instruments (attributive use)
| Русский | духово́й duxovój |
|---|
noun color of brass
| Português | bronze |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Messingfarbe |
| Italiano | bronzo |
noun high-ranking military officers
| Français | galonnés |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Generalität |
| Italiano | gallonato |
noun informal: a brave or foolhardy attitude
| Italiano | faccia di bronzo, faccia tosta |
|---|
adj made of brass, of or pertaining to brass
| Italiano | d'ottone |
|---|
adj of color of brass
| Português | bronze |
|---|---|
| Français | couleur de laiton |
| Deutsch | messingfarben, messinggelb |
adj impertinent, bold, brazen
| Italiano | dalla faccia di bronzo |
|---|
noun slang: a prostitute
| Português | prostituta |
|---|
Talk about this word "brass." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/brass. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. brass. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/brass "brass." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/brass.Cite this
@misc{brass_2026,
title = {brass},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/brass},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
