brain (breɪn
)
Definitions
noun
- the soft convoluted mass of nervous tissue within the skull of vertebrates that is the controlling and coordinating centre of the nervous system and the seat of thought, memory, and emotion. It includes the cerebrum, brainstem, and cerebellum Technical name
encephalon related adjectives cerebralencephalic - the main neural bundle or ganglion of certain invertebrates
- (often plural) informal intellectual ability ⇒
he's got brains
- informal shrewdness or cunning
- informal an intellectual or intelligent person
- (usually plural; functioning as singular) informal a person who plans and organizes an undertaking or is in overall control of an organization, etc
- an electronic device, such as a computer, that performs apparently similar functions to the human brain
- See on the brain
- See pick someone's brain
verb (tr)
- to smash the skull of
- slang to hit hard on the head
Word Origin
Old English brægen ; related to Old Frisian brein , Middle Low German bregen , Greek brekhmos foreheadSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
intellectual,
genius,
scholar,
sage,
pundit,
thinker,
mastermind,
intellect,
prodigy,
highbrow,
rocket scientist,
egghead,
brainbox,
clever clogs,
bluestocking,
=
intelligence,
mind,
reason,
understanding,
sense,
capacity,
smarts,
wit,
common sense,
intellect,
savvy,
nous,
suss,
shrewdness,
sagacity,
Quotations
"Our brains may be too big - dooming us as Triceratops was doomed by his armour"
"I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for survival"
Translations
- British English:
brain
Your brain is the organ inside your head that controls your body's activities and enables you to think and to feel things.breɪn NOUN
- Spanish:
cerebro
nm
- French:
cerveau
nm
- German:
Gehirn
nnt
- Chinese: 头脑 n
- Arabic: دِمَاغ n
- Portuguese: cérebro nm
- Russian: мозг nm
- Croatian: mozak nm
- Czech: mozek nm
- Danish: hjerne nutr
- Dutch: hersenen npl
- Finnish: aivot n
- Greek: εγκέφαλος nm
- Italian: cervello nm
- Japanese: 脳 n
- Korean: 뇌 n
- Norwegian: hjerne nm
- Polish: mózg nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: cérebro nm
- European Spanish:
cerebro
nm
- Swedish: hjärna nutr
- Thai: สมอง n
- Turkish: beyin n
- Vietnamese: não n
Usage examples
Her voice was panting and nervous and her brain was running faster than her mouth.
, INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS (2002)They then programmed the model onto a chip, which in a human patient would sit on the skull rather than inside the brain.
New Scientist (2003)Three Rhesus monkeys trained to use a computer mouse received brain implants.
Irish Times (2002)Psychologists say that when two people meet, the human brain takes about 14 seconds to process information and make judgements.
Glasgow Herald (2001)A rapier or dagger had passed through the neck up into the brain.
, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)