Brittle
1brittle — [brit′ l] adj. [ME britel < OE breotan, to break to pieces; akin to ON brjota < IE * bhreu < base * bher , to cut with a sharp point] 1. easily broken or shattered because hard and inflexible 2. having a sharp, hard quality [brittle… …
2Brittle — Brit tle, a. [OE. britel, brutel, AS. bryttian to dispense, fr. bre[ o]tan to break; akin to Icel. brytja, Sw. bryta, Dan. bryde. Cf. {Brickle}.] Easily broken; apt to break; fragile; not tough or tenacious. [1913 Webster] Farewell, thou pretty,… …
3brittle — M.E. britel, perhaps from an unrecorded O.E. adj. *brytel, related to brytan to crush, pound, to break to pieces, from P.Gmc. stem *brutila brittle, from *breutan to break up (Cf. O.N. brjota to break, O.H.G. brodi fragile ), and related to… …
4brittle — [adj1] fragile breakable, crisp, crumbling, crumbly, delicate, frail, frangible, friable, inelastic, shatterable, shivery, vitreous, weak; concepts 488,606 Ant. durable, flexible, moveable, resilient, supple brittle [adj2] tense curt, edgy,… …
5brittle — ► ADJECTIVE 1) hard but liable to break or shatter easily. 2) hard or superficial in a way that masks nervousness or instability. ► NOUN ▪ a brittle sweet made from nuts and set melted sugar. DERIVATIVES brittleness noun. ORIGIN related to an Old …
6brittle — index nonsubstantial (not sturdy) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …
7brittle — crisp, *fragile, frangible, short, friable Analogous words: *hardened, indurated Antonyms: supple Contrasted words: *elastic, resilient, springy, flexible: tough, tenacious, *strong, stout …
8brittle — [[t]brɪ̱t(ə)l[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED An object or substance that is brittle is hard but easily broken. Pine is brittle and breaks. ...the dry, brittle ends of the hair. 2) ADJ GRADED If you describe a situation, relationship, or someone s mood as… …
9brittle — UK [ˈbrɪt(ə)l] / US adjective Word forms brittle : adjective brittle comparative brittler superlative brittlest 1) a) a brittle substance or object is hard and can easily break into pieces Don t pack fragile or brittle objects in your suitcase.… …
10brittle — I. adjective (brittler; brittlest) Etymology: Middle English britil; akin to Old English brēotan to break, Old Norse brjōta Date: 14th century 1. a. easily broken, cracked, or snapped < brittle clay > < brittle glass > …
