brass
[bras, brahs] 
| 1. | any of various metal alloys consisting mainly of copper and zinc. |
| 2. | a utensil, ornament, or other article made of such an alloy. |
| 3. | Music.
|
| 4. | metallic yellow; lemon, amber, or reddish yellow. |
| 5. | Informal.
|
| 6. | Informal. excessive self-assurance; impudence; effrontery. |
| 7. | Machinery. a replaceable semicylindrical shell, usually of bronze, used with another such to line a bearing; a half bushing. |
| 8. | British. a memorial tablet or plaque, often incised with an effigy, coat of arms, or the like. |
| 9. | Furniture. any piece of ornamental or functional hardware, as a drawer pull, made of brass. |
| 10. | British Slang. money. |
| 11. | of, made of, or pertaining to brass. |
| 12. | composed for or using musical instruments made of brass. |
| 13. | having the color brass. |
bef. 1000; 1945–50 for def. 5; ME bras, OE bræs; c. OFris bres copper, MLG bras metal
Related forms:
6. cheek, nerve, brashness, gall, chutzpa.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
| brass (brās) n.
[Middle English bras, from Old English bræs.] brass adj. |
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Brass
Brass\, n.; pl. Brasses. [OE. bras, bres, AS. br[ae]s; akin to Icel. bras cement, solder, brasa to harden by fire, and to E. braze, brazen. Cf. 1st & 2d Braze.]1. An alloy (usually yellow) of copper and zinc, in variable proportion, but often containing two parts of copper to one part of zinc. It sometimes contains tin, and rarely other metals. 2. (Mach.) A journal bearing, so called because frequently made of brass. A brass is often lined with a softer metal, when the latter is generally called a white metal lining. See Axle box, Journal Box, and Bearing. 3. Coin made of copper, brass, or bronze. [Obs.] Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey. --Matt. x. 9. 4. Impudence; a brazen face. [Colloq.] 5. pl. Utensils, ornaments, or other articles of brass. The very scullion who cleans the brasses. --Hopkinson. 6. A brass plate engraved with a figure or device. Specifically, one used as a memorial to the dead, and generally having the portrait, coat of arms, etc. 7. pl. (Mining) Lumps of pyrites or sulphuret of iron, the color of which is near to that of brass. Note: The word brass as used in Sculpture language is a translation for copper or some kind of bronze. Note: Brass is often used adjectively or in self-explaining compounds; as, brass button, brass kettle, brass founder, brass foundry or brassfoundry. Brass band (Mus.), a band of musicians who play upon wind instruments made of brass, as trumpets, cornets, etc. Brass foil, Brass leaf, brass made into very thin sheets; -- called also Dutch gold.Cite This Source
brass
Musical instruments traditionally made of brass and played by blowing directly into a small, cup-shaped mouthpiece. They include the French horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
brass
Cite This Source
| brass (brās) Pronunciation Key
A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc, usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc. It sometimes includes small amounts of other metals. Brass is strong, ductile, and resistant to many forms of corrosion. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Brass
which is an alloy of copper and zinc, was not known till the thirteenth century. What is designated by this word in Scripture is properly copper (Deut. 8:9). It was used for fetters (Judg. 16:21; 2 Kings 25:7), for pieces of armour (1 Sam. 17:5, 6), for musical instruments (1 Chr. 15:19; 1 Cor. 13:1), and for money (Matt. 10:9). It is a symbol of insensibility and obstinacy in sin (Isa. 48:4; Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18), and of strength (Ps. 107:16; Micah 4:13). The Macedonian empire is described as a kingdom of brass (Dan. 2:39). The "mountains of brass" Zechariah (6:1) speaks of have been supposed to represent the immutable decrees of God. The serpent of brass was made by Moses at the command of God (Num. 21:4-9), and elevated on a pole, so that it might be seen by all the people when wounded by the bite of the serpents that were sent to them as a punishment for their murmurings against God and against Moses. It was afterwards carried by the Jews into Canaan, and preserved by them till the time of Hezekiah, who caused it to be at length destroyed because it began to be viewed by the people with superstitious reverence (2 Kings 18:4). (See NEHUSHTAN.) The brazen serpent is alluded to by our Lord in John 3:14, 15. (See SERPENT.)
Cite This Source
brass
In addition to the idioms beginning with brass, also see bold as brass; double in brass; get down to brass tacks.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Shop for Your Perfect Bra. Free Shipping on Orders of $100.
www.BareNecessities.com
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
