Brain definition
An example of brain is a student who is valedictorian of their class.
An example of brain is what is damaged when someone has Alzheimer's disease.
An actor not known for his quick brain.
Has brains and good looks.
We knew the new kid was a brain as soon as she started talking.
He is the brains behind the scheme.
The computer's brain is capable of millions of calculations a second.
- To exert or expend great mental effort:She beat her brains out during the examination.
- Obsessively in mind:The coach has winning on the brain.
- To explore another's ideas through questioning.
- To think long and hard:I racked my brain for hours trying to recall her name.
- to be obsessed by
- to extract information, ideas, etc. from someone and use to one's own advantage
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of brain
- Middle English from Old English brægen
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English brain, from Old English bræġen (“brain”), from Proto-Germanic *bragną (“brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mreghmno-, *mreghmo- (“skull, brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mreK- (“marrow, sinciput”). Cognate with Scots braine, brane (“brain”), North Frisian brayen, brein (“brain”), West Frisian brein (“brain”), Dutch brein (“brain”), Low German Brägen (“brain”), Bregen Ancient Greek βρεχμός (brechmos, “front part of the skull, top of the head”).
From Wiktionary