verb (used without object)
3.
to utter a loud and harsh cry, as a donkey.
4.
to make a loud, harsh, disagreeable sound.
verb (used with object)
5.
to utter with a loud, harsh sound, like a donkey.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English brayen < Old French braire to cry out (cognate with Medieval Latin bragīre to neigh) < Celtic; compare Old Irish braigid (he) breaks wind
1250–1300; Middle English brayen < Old French braire to cry out (cognate with Medieval Latin bragīre to neigh) < Celtic; compare Old Irish braigid (he) breaks wind
00:10
Bray
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to pound or crush fine, as in a mortar.
2.
Printing. to thin (ink) on a slate before placing on the ink plate of a press.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English brayen < Anglo-French bra(i)er, Old French broier < Germanic; see break
1350–1400; Middle English brayen < Anglo-French bra(i)er, Old French broier < Germanic; see break
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To bray
Collins
World English Dictionary
bray1 (breɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) (of a donkey) to utter its characteristic loud harsh sound; heehaw |
| 2. | (intr) to make a similar sound, as in laughing: he brayed at the joke |
| 3. | (tr) to utter with a loud harsh sound |
| —n | |
| 4. | the loud harsh sound uttered by a donkey |
| 5. | a similar loud cry or uproar: a bray of protest |
| [C13: from Old French braire, probably of Celtic origin] | |
| 'brayer1 | |
| —n | |
| bray2 (breɪ) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (tr) to distribute (ink) over printing type or plates |
| 2. | (tr) to pound into a powder, as in a mortar |
| 3. | dialect (Northern English) to hit or beat (someone or something) hard; bang |
| [C14: from Old French breier of Germanic origin; see | |
| 'brayer2 | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bray
c.1300, from O.Fr. braire "to cry," from Gallo-Romance *bragire "to cry out," perhaps from a Celtic source (cf. Gael. braigh "to shriek, crackle"), probably imitative. As a noun, from c.1300. Related: Braying.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Nearby Words
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