brisance

American

[bri-zahns, bree-zahns] / brɪˈzɑns, briˈzɑ̃s /

noun

the shattering effect of a high explosive.

brisance British

/ brizɑ̃s, ˈbriːzəns /

noun

the shattering effect or power of an explosion or explosive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

brisant adjective

Etymology

Origin of brisance

1910–15; < French, equivalent to bris ( er ) to break (< Celtic; akin to Irish brisim (I) break) + -ance -ance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It isn't exactly strength or hardness or toughness or resilience or brisance—maybe a combination of all five.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023