brush
/brʌʃ/
noun
Origin
Old French
broce — brushwood, thicket
Overview
Meaning Now
- An implement with a handle and bristles, wire, or hair, used for cleaning, painting, or grooming.
- An act of brushing or a brief encounter or skirmish.
Literal older meaning
Something made of twigs, brushwood, or coarse hair.
Language path
Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
brosser
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The word originally referred to 'brushwood' or twigs. As twigs were often bound together to create early cleaning tools (brooms or brushes), the term evolved from describing the material to the tool itself.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*brusk-
“undergrowth, thicket”
- Old French
broce
“thicket, brushwood”
Source of the idea of twigs bundled together.
- Middle English
brushe
“implement for cleaning”
Borrowed from Old French.
Connections
Word parts
brush
root
implement or undergrowth
Related across languages
French
brosse
brush
German
Bursch
undergrowth (related root)
Explore next
Related to brush
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.