brillig

B3R1I1L1L1I1G2

noun

A nonce word in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, explained by Humpty Dumpty as "four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."

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Meanings

nounbrillig (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA nonce word in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, explained by Humpty Dumpty as "four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."

    'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe

    1871, Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky

Origin

Supposedly from bryl or broil.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French brilgue
  • brilguenonce word
German brillig
  • brillignonce word
Portuguese briluz
  • briluznonce word
Cite this entry
APA

brillig. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillig

MLA

“brillig.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillig. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brillig,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillig.

Source: brillig on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.