brisk
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Etymology
Uncertain; probably a collateral form of brusque, but compare Irish briosc, Scottish Gaelic brisg, Welsh brys.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɹɪsk/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪsk
Adjective
brisk (comparative brisker or more brisk, superlative briskest or most brisk)
- Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action.
- 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 10:
- On such occasions he would remark--
"Shaving may add an air that's somewhat brisker,
For dignity, commend me to the whisker."
- 2012 December 29, Paul Doyle, “Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle”, in The Guardian:
- Ba, who has been linked with a January move to Arsenal, should have rewarded their brisk start with the opening goal in the 16th minute.
- Full of spirit of life; effervescing.
- (archaic) Sparkling; fizzy.
- brisk cider
- Stimulating or invigorating.
- This morning was a brisk fall day. It wasn't cold enough for frost, but you wanted to keep moving.
- 1896, A. E. Housman, “Terence, this is stupid stuff”, in A Shropshire Lad:
- Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, / There's brisker pipes than poetry.
- Abrupt, curt in one's manner or in relation to others.
- 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 15”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:
- Her manner was brisk, and her good-breeding scarcely concealed her conviction that if you were not a soldier you might as well be a counter-jumper.
Derived terms
Translations
full of liveliness and activity
|
full of spirit of life
|
stimulating or invigorating
abrupt, sharp in one's manner or tone
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also
Verb
brisk (third-person singular simple present brisks, present participle brisking, simple past and past participle brisked)
- (transitive, intransitive, often with "up") To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate.
Further reading
- “brisk”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “brisk”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
- “brisk”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Albanian
Lithuanian
Norwegian Nynorsk
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