brass

CEFRB2

/bɹɑːs/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A yellow metal made from copper and zinc.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A class of wind instruments, usually made of metal (such as brass), that use vibrations of the player's lips to produce sound; a band or the section of an orchestra that features such instruments.

Examples

  • Gold is similar in color to brass.

  • I belong to the brass band, and so does my brother.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /bɹas/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A metallic alloy of copper and zinc used in many industrial and plumbing applications.

  2. A memorial or sepulchral tablet usually made of brass or latten: a monumental brass.

  3. Fittings, utensils, or other items made of brass.

More examples

In context

  • We've been horsing around too much; it's high time we got down to brass tacks.

  • A few measures later, the brass comes in strong!

  • The brass are not going to like this.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The door handle was made of shiny blank that tarnished quickly.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English bras, bres, from Old English bræs (“brass, bronze”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps representing a backformation from Proto-Germanic *brasnaz (“brazen”), from or related to *brasō (“fire, pyre”). Compare Old Norse and Icelandic bras (“solder”), Icelandic brasa (“to harden in the fire”), Swedish brasa (“a small controlled fire”), Danish brase (“to fry”); French braser ("to solder"; > English braise) from the same Germanic root. Compare also Middle Dutch braspenninc ("a silver coin", literally, "silver-penny"; > Dutch braspenning), Old Frisian bress (“copper”), Middle Low German bras (“metal, ore”). In the military sense an ellipsis of the brass hats.