brillo pad

bril·lo·pad

noun

A scouring pad used for cleaning dishes, made from steel wool containing soap.

OriginVulgar Latin *b(e)rillāre →
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Meanings

nounbrillo pad (plural brillo pads)

plural brillo pads

  1. A scouring pad used for cleaning dishes, made from steel wool containing soap.
  2. USderogatoryethnicoffensiveslangslurThe hair on the scalp of a black person.
  3. USderogatoryethnicoffensiveslangslurA black person.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
nigger

Origin

  1. Vulgar Latin*b(e)rillāre
  2. Englishbrillo pad

From a trademark, probably related to brilliant. The company has claimed that the name derives from a Latin word for bright, but there is no such fitting word in attested Latin; the ancestor of such verbs as Italian brillare (“to shine”) would be a hypothetical Vulgar Latin *b(e)rillāre.

More words from Vulgar Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 肥皂鋼絲絨 /肥皂钢丝绒
  • 肥皂鋼絲絨 /肥皂钢丝绒 (féizào gāngsīróng)scouring pad containing soap
Finnish saippuavillatyyny
  • saippuavillatyynyscouring pad containing soap
Greek σύρμα
  • σύρμα (sýrma)scouring pad containing soap
Polish metalowy zmywak do szorowania naczyń
  • metalowy zmywak do szorowania naczyńscouring pad containing soap
Portuguese palha de aço, bombril
  • palha de açoscouring pad containing soap
  • bombrilscouring pad containing soap
Spanish estropajo
  • estropajoscouring pad containing soap
Cite this entry
APA

brillo pad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillo%20pad

MLA

“brillo pad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillo%20pad. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brillo pad,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillo%20pad.

Source: brillo pad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.