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brandish. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
brandish, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
brandish in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
brandish you have here. The definition of the word
brandish will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
brandish, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English braundischen, from Old French brandiss-, stem of brandir (“to flourish a sword”), from Frankish *brandijan, from Frankish *brand (“firebrand; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *brandaz (“fire; flame; sword”), whence Old English brand (“firebrand; torch”); equivalent to brand + -ish. More at brand.
Pronunciation
Verb
brandish (third-person singular simple present brandishes, present participle brandishing, simple past and past participle brandished)
- (transitive) To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.
He brandished his sword at the pirates.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 96, column 1:Hvng be yͤ heauens vvith black, yield day to night; / Comets importing change of Times and States, / Brandiſh your cryſtall Treſſes in the Skie, / And vvith them ſcourge the bad reuolting Stars, / That haue conſented vnto Henries Death: / King Henry the Fift, too famous to liue long, / England ne're loſt a King of ſo much vvorth.
1906 August, Alfred Noyes, “The Highwayman”, in Poems, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 2, stanza IX, page 53:Back, he spurred like a madman, shouting a curse to the sky, / With the white road smoking behind him, and his rapier brandished high! / Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat; […]
- (transitive) To bear something with ostentatious show.
to brandish syllogisms
1749, [John Cleland], “”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: G. Fenton , →OCLC, page 66:Long, however, the young ſpark did not remain, before, giving it [his penis] two or three ſhakes, by way of brandiſhing it, he threw himſelf upon her, […]
- 2011, Jejomar C. Binay, Binay: Blame corruption on modern consumerism, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, :
- It sets the stage for cutting corners in our principles just so we can brandish a perceived badge of stature.
Synonyms
Translations
to move a weapon
- Arabic: (please verify) يُلوَّح (بسلاح) مهدَِّداً
- Bulgarian: размахвам заплашително (razmahvam zaplašitelno)
- Catalan: brandar (ca), brandejar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 揮舞/挥舞 (zh) (huīwǔ), 揮/挥 (zh) (huī)
- Czech: mávat (cs)
- Dutch: zwaaien (nl)
- Finnish: heiluttaa (fi), heristää
- French: brandir (fr)
- Galician: brandir
- German: schwingen (de), schwenken (de), hantieren (de), führen (de)
- Greek: κραδαίνω (el) (kradaíno)
- Ancient: πάλλω (pállō)
- Icelandic: bregða (is), sveifla
- Ido: brandisar (io)
- Irish: bagair
- Japanese: 振り回す (ふりまわす, furimawasu), 閃かす (ひらめかす, hiramekasu)
- Korean: 휘두르다 (ko) (hwidureuda)
- Latin: vibrō
- Maori: whakakakapa, tōwhiri, tōwhiriwhiri, whakahana, whīoioi, pīoioi
- Middle English: braundischen
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: svinge (no)
- Occitan: brandir (oc)
- Old Norse: bregða
- Polish: wymachiwać (pl)
- Portuguese: brandir (pt)
- Romanian: flutura (ro), a învârti (ro) (sabia)
- Russian: маха́ть (ru) (maxátʹ), разма́хивать (ru) (razmáxivatʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: crath
- Spanish: esgrimir (es), blandir (es)
- Swedish: svinga (sv), hötta (sv), hytta (sv)
- Ukrainian: маха́ти impf (maxáty), розма́хувати impf (rozmáxuvaty)
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to bear something with ostentatious show
See also
Noun
brandish (plural brandishes)
- The act of flourishing or waving.
Synonyms