brim

brim · noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · inherited frombrymme
2. English todaybrim

The noun is derived from Middle English brymme, brimme (“bank or edge of a lake or river; shore of a sea; brink; rim”); of unclear origin; compare Middle High German brem (“margin”). The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Bavarian Bräm (“border, stripe”) * Danish bræmme (“border, edge, brim”) * obsolete German Bräme, Brame (“border, edge”) * Swedish bräm (“border, edge”) * Icelandic barmur (“edge, verge, brink”)

brim · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰrem-“to hum, make a noise”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*bremaną“to roar”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*brimą“turbulence, surge; surf, sea”
4. Northern Middle English · inherited frombrym
5. English todaybrim

Inherited from Northern Middle English brym, bryme (“waterbody”), from Old English brim (“sea, surf”), from Proto-Germanic *brimą (“turbulence, surge; surf, sea”), from Proto-Germanic *bremaną (“to roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem- (“to hum, make a noise”).

brim · noun³

A variant of bream.

brim · verb, noun⁴

1. Middle English · inherited frombrim
2. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰrem-“to make noise”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bramjaną
4. Old English · inherited frombremman“to rage; to roar”
5. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*brōmiz“famous”
6. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*brōmi
7. Old English · inherited frombrēme“(poetic) glorious; famous, renowned”
8. Middle English · inherited frombrimmen“of pigs: to be in heat or rut; to breed; to bear fruit”
9. English todaybrim

The verb is derived from Middle English brimmen (“of pigs: to be in heat or rut; to breed; to bear fruit”), either: * modified from brem, breme (“of animals: ferocious, savage; of fire, the sea, a storm, etc.: raging, severe, tempestuous; glorious, splendid; etc.”, adjective) (whence modern English breme (“(obsolete) fierce, stormy, tempestuous”)), from Old English brēme (“(poetic) glorious; famous, renowned”), from Proto-West Germanic *brōmi, from Proto-Germanic *brōmiz (“famous”); or * directly from Old English bremman (“to rage; to roar”) (though not attested in Middle English), from Proto-Germanic *bramjaną, *bremaną (“to roar”); both from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem- (“to make noise”). The noun is derived from Middle English brim, from the verb: see above.

brim · adjective⁵

A variant of breme.

brim · noun⁶

Clipping of brimstone (“sulphur; (figurative) a domineering, scolding woman”).

Brim · proper noun⁷

1. Hebrew · derived fromבן רבי“son of Rabbi…”
2. English todayBrim

As an English surname, spelling variant of Bream. As a Jewish surname, acronymically from Hebrew בן רבי (bén rabí, “son of Rabbi…”) followed by a Yiddish personal name. Compare Brill.

Words from the same roots