brickbats

noun

brickbats

noun

UK /ˈbɹɪkbæts/ · US /ˈbɹɪkˌbæts/

Etymology From brickbat + -s. The plural only sense (“small rocky particles moving as a group in space”) was coined by the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) and is used chiefly in reference to his writings.

Astronomy, Natural sciences Informal Small rocky particles moving as a group in space, especially as forming rings around planets.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.