Meanings
brill1
brill2
comparative more brill · superlative most brill
- UKabbreviationclippingslangClipping of brilliant; wonderful, amusing; cool.
That song is totally brill, innit!
1 more example
So what makes a brill baguette? For Mr Paluel-Marmont and Mr de Rovira, a star French stick can usually be identified merely by its appearance.
2004 April 22, Jon Henley, “Guides show Parisians where their best bread is buttered”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Brill3
- A surname.
- A village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, previously in Aylesbury Vale district (OS grid ref SP6514).
- A hamlet in Constantine parish, south-west Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SW7229).
- An unincorporated community in the town of Oak Grove, Barron County, Wisconsin, United States.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEuropean food fish
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
brill · noun
- Proto-Brythonic*briθ
- Cornishbrilli“mackerel”
- Englishbrill
Possibly from Cornish brilli (“mackerel”), from brithelli, plural of brithel (“mackerel”), from brith (“spotted”), from Proto-Brythonic *briθ.
More words from Cornish, Proto-Brythonic
Full word history & related roots →Brill · proper noun
- Middle Low Germanbrul“low wetland”
- Old Englishhyll“hill”
- Proto-Brythonic*breɣ“hill”
- EnglishBrill
* 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".
More words from Proto-Brythonic, Old English, Middle Low German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ῥόμβος
- ῥόμβος (rhómbos)Scophthalmus rhombus
Basque erreboilo ezkatadun
- erreboilo ezkatadunScophthalmus rhombus
Catalan rèmol, rom
- rèmolScophthalmus rhombus
- romScophthalmus rhombus
Danish slethvar
- slethvarScophthalmus rhombus
Dutch griet
- grietScophthalmus rhombus
Esperanto rombofiŝo, rombo
- rombofiŝoScophthalmus rhombus
- romboScophthalmus rhombus
Finnish silokampela
- silokampelaScophthalmus rhombus
French barbue
- barbueScophthalmus rhombus
German Glattbutt
- GlattbuttScophthalmus rhombus
Māori pātikinui
- pātikinuiScophthalmus rhombus
Norwegian slettvar
- slettvarScophthalmus rhombus
Polish nagład
- nagładScophthalmus rhombus
Russian гла́дкий ромб, бриль
- гла́дкий ромб (gládkij romb)Scophthalmus rhombus
- бриль (brilʹ)Scophthalmus rhombus
- гла́дкий калка́н (gládkij kalkán)Scophthalmus rhombus
Spanish rémol, rombo
- rémolScophthalmus rhombus
- romboScophthalmus rhombus
Welsh lleden fannog
- lleden fannogScophthalmus rhombus
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with brill
Cite this entry
brill. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brill
“brill.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brill. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brill,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brill.
Source: brill on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.