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brute

1
[ broot ]
/ brut /
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noun
adjective
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Origin of brute

1
First recorded in 1425–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin brūtus “heavy, devoid of feeling, irrationa”l

synonym study for brute

1. See animal.

OTHER WORDS FROM brute

brutelike, adjectivebrutely, adverbbruteness, noun

Other definitions for brute (2 of 2)

brute2
[ broot ]
/ brut /

verb (used with object), brut·ed, brut·ing.
to shape (a diamond) by rubbing with another diamond or a diamond chip.

Origin of brute

2
First recorded in 1900–05; back formation from bruting “rough hewing (of a diamond),” partial translation of French brutage literally, “a roughing,” equivalent to brut “rough, raw” + -age; see origin at brute1, -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brute

brute
/ (bruːt) /

noun
  1. any animal except man; beast; lower animal
  2. (as modifier)brute nature
a brutal person
adjective (prenominal)
wholly instinctive or physical (esp in the phrases brute strength, brute force)
without reason or intelligence
coarse and grossly sensual

Word Origin for brute

C15: from Latin brūtus heavy, irrational; related to gravis heavy
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
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