brush"shrubbery," early 14c., from Anglo-Fr. bruce "brushwood," O.N.Fr. broche, O.Fr. broce "bush, thicket, undergrowth" (12c., Mod.Fr. brosse), from Gallo-Romance *brocia, perhaps from *brucus "heather," or possibly from the same source as
brush (1). The verb meaning "to move
briskly" especially past or against something or someone (1670s) probably belongs here, on the notion of a horse, etc., passing through dense undergrowth, but brush (1) probably has contributed something to it as well.