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adjective
1.
having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.
2.
easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail: a brittle marriage.
3.
lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof; self-centered: a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person.
4.
having a sharp, tense quality: a brittle tone of voice.
5.
unstable or impermanent; evanescent.
noun
6.
a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: peanut brittle.
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Brittle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
verb (used without object)
7.
to be or become brittle; crumble.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten fragment) + -el adj. suffix
1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten fragment) + -el adj. suffix
Related forms
brit·tle·ness, noun
un·brit·tle, adjective
un·brit·tle·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To brittle
Example Sentences
- This part of the mountain was covered in very fragile, brittle lava.
- It is best to bake and assemble the confection shortly before it is to be served, so that the caramel will remain brittle.
- This warmly spiced brittle also makes a crunchy garnish for a holiday pumpkin pie.
Collins
World English Dictionary
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
brittle
M.E. britel, perhaps from an unrecorded O.E. adj. *brytel, related to brytan "to crush, pound, to break to pieces," from P.Gmc. stem *brutila- "brittle," from *breutan "to break up" (cf. O.N. brjota "to break," O.H.G. brodi "fragile"), and related to bruise. With -le, suffix
EXPANDforming adjectives with meaning "liable to."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
brittle  (brĭt'l) Pronunciation Key
Having a tendency to break when subject to high stress. Brittle materials have undergone very little strain when they reach their elastic limit, and tend to break at that limit. Compare ductile. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
brittle definition
jargonSaid of software that is functional but easily broken by changes in operating environment or configuration, or by any minor tweak to the software itself. Also, any system that responds inappropriately and disastrously to abnormal but expected external stimuli; e.g. a file system that is usually totally scrambled by a power failure is said to be brittle. This term is often used to describe the results of a research effort that were never intended to be robust, but it can be applied to commercially developed software, which displays the quality far more often than it ought to.
Opposite of robust.
[Jargon File]
(1995-05-09)
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