brisk

Uncertain; probably a collateral form of brusque, but compare Irish briosc, Scottish Gaelic brisg, Welsh brys.

• IPA^(key): /bɹɪsk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪsk

brisk (comparative brisker or more brisk, superlative briskest or most brisk)

1. Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action.

   Synonyms: lively, spirited, quick

   We took a brisk walk yesterday.

   • 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 10:

     On such occasions he would remark--
     "Shaving may add an air that's somewhat brisker,
     For dignity, commend me to the whisker."

   • 2012 December 29, Paul Doyle, “Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle”, in The Guardian‎:

     Ba, who has been linked with a January move to Arsenal, should have rewarded their brisk start with the opening goal in the 16th minute.

2. Full of spirit of life; effervescing.
3. (archaic) Sparkling; fizzy.

   brisk cider

4. Stimulating or invigorating.

   This morning was a brisk fall day. It wasn't cold enough for frost, but you wanted to keep moving.

   • 1896, A. E. Housman, “Terence, this is stupid stuff”, in A Shropshire Lad:

     Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, / There's brisker pipes than poetry.

5. Abrupt, curt in one's manner or in relation to others.
   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 15”, in The Moon and Sixpence, : Grosset & Dunlap Publishers , →OCLC:

     Her manner was brisk, and her good-breeding scarcely concealed her conviction that if you were not a soldier you might as well be a counter-jumper.

• brusque

brisk (third-person singular simple present brisks, present participle brisking, simple past and past participle brisked)

1. (transitive, intransitive, often with "up") To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate.

• “brisk”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “brisk”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “brisk”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• Birks, birks

From Proto-Albanian *britška, from Proto-Slavic *bričьkъ, diminutive of *bričь (“id”).

brisk m (plural brisqe, definite brisku, definite plural brisqet)

1. razor, penknife

• briski

• IPA^(key):

brìsk

1. second-person singular imperative of bristi

• bresk (dialectal)

Possibly onomatopoetic of the sound made when put on fire.

brisk m (definite singular brisken, indefinite plural briskar, definite plural briskane)

1. juniper

   Synonyms: brake, einer, eine

From Middle Low German britse, britsche, briske.

brisk m (definite singular brisken, indefinite plural briskar, definite plural briskane)

1. a wall-bound sleeping bench