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brittle
8 dictionary results for: brittle
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
brit·tle       [brit-l] Pronunciation Key adjective, -tler, -tlest, noun, verb, -tled, -tling.
–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.
–verb (used without object)
7.to be or become brittle; crumble.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME britel, equiv. to brit- (akin to OE brysten fragment) + -el adj. suffix]

brit·tle·ness, noun

1. fragile. See frail1.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
brit·tle       (brĭt'l)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.   brit·tler, brit·tlest
    1. Likely to break, snap, or crack, as when subjected to pressure: brittle bones.
    2. Easily damaged or disrupted; fragile: a brittle friendship. See Synonyms at fragile.
    3. Difficult to deal with; snappish: a brittle disposition.
    4. Lacking warmth of feeling; cold: a reputation for being brittle and aloof.
    5. Perishable.
    6. Fleeting; transitory.
    1. Difficult to deal with; snappish: a brittle disposition.
    2. Lacking warmth of feeling; cold: a reputation for being brittle and aloof.
    3. Perishable.
    4. Fleeting; transitory.
  1. Brilliantly sharp, as in percussive sound.
    1. Perishable.
    2. Fleeting; transitory.

n.   A confection of caramelized sugar to which nuts are added: walnut brittle.


[Middle English britel, probably from Old English *brytel, from bryttian, to shatter.]

brit'tle·ly (brĭt'l-ē) adv., brit'tle·ness n.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
brittle 
O.E. bryttian "to break to pieces," from P.Gmc. stem *brutilo- "break" (cf. O.N. brjota "to break," O.H.G. brodi "fragile"), from PIE *bhreu-, from base *bher- "to cut with a sharp point." With -le, suffix forming adjectives with meaning "liable to."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
brittle

adjective
1. having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped; "brittle bones"; "glass is brittle"; "'brickle' and 'brickly' are dialectal" 
2. lacking warmth and generosity of spirit; "a brittle and calculating woman" 
3. (of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured 

noun
1. caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheets 

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

brittle jargon
Said 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.
[The Jargon File]
(1995-05-09)

Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This

brittle

adj. Said 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 commercial software, which (due to closed-source development) displays the quality far more often than it ought to. Oppose robust.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Brittle

Brit"tle\, a. [OE. britel, brutel, AS. bryttian to dispense, fr. bre['o]tan to break; akin to Icel. brytja, Sw. bryta, Dan. bryde. Cf. Brickle.] Easily broken; apt to break; fragile; not tough or tenacious .

Farewell, thou pretty, brittle piece Of fine-cut crystal. --Cotton.

Brittle silver ore, the mineral stephanite.

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