bray
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bray¹
- /bɹeɪ/ US, UK
Sounds like brae · Rhymes with -eɪ
Where it comes from
The verb is derived from Middle English brayen, brai, bray, braye (“of a person or animal: to vocalize loudly; of the weather: to make a loud sound, howl, roar”), from Old French brai, braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to cry or shout out”) (modern French braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”)), possibly from Vulgar Latin *bragiō, from Gaulish *bragu (compare Breton breugiñ (“to bray”), brammañ (“to flatulate”), Cornish bramma, brabma (“to flatulate”), Old Irish braigid (“to flatulate”)), from Proto-Celtic *brageti, *bragyeti (“to flatulate”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreHg- (“to flatulate; to stink”); cognate with Latin fragrō (“to smell”). Alternatively, the word could be from a Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), and cognate with frangere (“to break, shatter”).
The noun is derived from the verb, or from Middle English brai, brait (“shriek; outcry”), from Old French brai, brait (“a cry”), from braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”); see above.
verb brays · braying · brayed
- Of an animal (now chiefly of animals related to the ass or donkey, and the camel): to make its cry. Whenever I walked by, that donkey brayed at me.
- To make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray. He threw back his head and brayed with laughter.
- To make or utter (a shout, sound, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner. [N]ow ſtorming furie roſe, / And clamour ſuch as heard in Heav'n till now / Was never, Arms on Armour claſhing bray'd / Horrible discord, and the madding Wheeles / Of brazen Chariots rag'd; [...]
noun brays
-
The cry of an animal, now chiefly that of animals related to the ass or donkey, or the camel.
Similar: hee-haw
- Any discordant, grating, or harsh sound. It seems a very nest—warm and snug, and green—for human life; with the twilight haze of time about it, almost consecrating it from the aching hopes and feverish expectations of the present. Who would think that the bray and roar of multitudinous London sounded but some sixty miles away?
bray²
- /bɹeɪ/ US, UK
Sounds like brae · Rhymes with -eɪ
Where it comes from
From Middle English brayen (“to break or crush into pieces”), from Anglo-Norman breier, Old French breie, breier, broiier (modern French broyer (“to crush, grind”)), possibly from Frankish *brekan (“to break”), from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”); thus making the English word a doublet of break.
verb brays · braying · brayed
- To crush or pound, especially using a pestle and mortar. Though thou ſhouldeſt bray a fool in a morter among wheate with a peſtell, yet will not his fooliſhneſſe depart from him.
- To hit (someone or something). If anything he brayed him all the harder – the old family bull recognising his fighting days were close to over.
Bray³
- /bɹeɪ/
Where it comes from
The town in Ireland is from Irish Bré, of uncertain origin.
proper noun Brays
- A surname.
- A village and civil parish in Windsor and Maidenhead borough, Berkshire, England (OS grid ref SU9079).
- A river in Devon, England, which flows south to join the River Mole at Meethe; in full, the River Bray.
- A coastal town in County Wicklow, Ireland (Irish grid ref O 2617).
- A commune in Saône-et-Loire department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.
- A commune in Eure department, Normandy, France.
- A township in Pennington County, Minnesota, United States, named after an early settler.
- A town in Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States.
- A village in Kgalagadi district, Botswana, opposite Bray, South Africa.
- A village in Kagisano-Molopo local municipality, North West province, South Africa, opposite Bray, Botswana.
- A locality in Robe council area and Wattle Range council area, South Australia.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hee-haw, crunch, mash, grind, comminute, haut, loup, braille, seine, corbie, somme, curtis, neufchatel, honk, bleat, bawl
Translations
Every language
verb to make the cry of a donkey
| Español | rebuznar, roznar, ornear |
|---|---|
| Português | ornejar, zurrar |
| Français | braire (âne) |
| Deutsch | iahen, kreischen, schreien |
| Italiano | ragliare |
| Ελληνικά | γκαρίζω gkarízo |
| Русский | реве́ть |
| العربية | نَهَقَ nahaqa |
| עברית | נער na'ár |
verb to make the cry of a camel
| Français | blatèrement |
|---|---|
| العربية | رَغَى raḡā, هَدَر hadar |
verb to make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray
| Deutsch | kreischen wie ein Esel, schreien wie ein Esel |
|---|
verb to make or utter (a shout, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner
| Deutsch | kreischen |
|---|
Talk about this word "bray." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bray. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. bray. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bray "bray." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bray.Cite this
@misc{bray_2026,
title = {bray},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bray},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
