brill

brill · noun¹

1. Proto-Brythonic · derived from*briθ
2. Cornish · derived frombrilli“mackerel”
3. English todaybrill

Possibly from Cornish brilli (“mackerel”), from brithelli, plural of brithel (“mackerel”), from brith (“spotted”), from Proto-Brythonic *briθ.

Brill · proper noun²

1. Middle Low German · derived frombrul“low wetland”
2. Old English · derived fromhyll“hill”
3. Proto-Brythonic · derived from*breɣ“hill”
4. English todayBrill

* As an English surname, from Brill in Buckinghamshire, said to be from Proto-Brythonic *breɣ (“hill”) + Old English hyll (“hill”). * As a Dutch and north German surname, from Middle Low German brul (“low wetland”). Compare the variant Bruehl. * Also as a German surname, from the noun Brille (“eyeglasses”). * As a Jewish surname, from a Hebrew acronym of בן רבי (ben rabi, “son of rabbi”) followed by a Yiddish personal name, such as "Ben Rabbi Yehuda Levi".

Words from the same roots