Etymology From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush”), which could be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusgo-.
An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair.
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The act of brushing something.
She gave her hair a quick brush.
as leaves Do on the oak, have with one winter's brush Fell from their boughsc. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 92:
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A piece of conductive material, usually carbon, serving to maintain electrical contact between the stationary and rotating parts of a machine.
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A brush-like electrical discharge of sparks.
If there was a sharp point nearby, electricity would stream from it in a luminous brush, a little corposant, and one could blow out candles with the outstreaming “electric wind,” or even get this to turn a little rotor on its pivot.2001, Oliver Sacks, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood:
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Wild vegetation, generally larger than grass but smaller than trees. See shrubland.
We broke away toward the north, the tribe howling on our track. Across the open spaces we gained, and in the brush they caught up with us, and more than once it was nip and tuck.1906, Jack London, Before Adam, chapter 12
One typical Grecian kiln engorged one thousand muleloads of juniper wood in a single burn. Fifty such kilns would devour six thousand metric tons of trees and brush annually.2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion:
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A short, possibly recurrent encounter or experience.
brush with death
He has had brushes with communism from time to time.
2 more examples
The usual visual grammar was in place – a carpet in the street, people in paddocks awaiting a brush with something glamorous, blokes with earpieces, birds in frocks of colliding colours that if sighted in nature would indicate the presence of poison.2013 September 13, Russell Brand, “Russell Brand and the GQ awards: 'It's amazing how absurd it seems'”, in The Guardian:
He fell seriously ill at 21 with pneumonia and doctors feared for his life. Three cysts were found on his right lung and part of it was removed in a brutal operation. The brush with death strengthened his determination to become a priest and he entered a Jesuit seminary soon afterwards.2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian:
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The furry tail of an animal, especially of a fox.
They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
We terrified the mare and foal; The fox stood still and far too bold - So we strung him up, brush neatly folded Mayhem, maybe.1988, “Mayhem Maybe”, in Ian Anderson (music), 20 Years of Jethro Tull, performed by Jethro Tull:
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Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology A tuft of hair on the mandibles.
1860, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage (originally published in Cornhill Magazine Mark and Lord Lufton had been boys together, and his lordship knew that Mark in his heart would enjoy a brush across the country quite as well as he himself.
[…] got into a brush with a fast British cutter as they approached Cowes […]1950, Think, volumes 16-17, page 34:
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music An instrument, resembling a brush, used to produce a soft sound from drums or cymbals.
Your bitmap image appears along the painted stroke. If you'd like to permanently create a custom sprite brush, it's fairly easy to adapt an existing MEL file[…].2007, Lee Lanier, Maya Professional Tips and Techniques, page 12:
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Computer graphics, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A set of defined design and parameters that produce drawn strokes of a certain texture and quality.
to download brushes for Photoshop
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Video games In 3D video games, a convex polyhedron, especially one that defines structure of the play area.
Etymology From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush”), which could be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusgo-.
1
To clean with a brush.
Brush your teeth.
2
To untangle or arrange with a brush.
Brush your hair.
3
To apply with a brush.
I am brushing the paint onto the walls.
4
To remove with a sweeping motion.
She brushed the flour off my clothes.
Caliban: As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd / With raven's feather from unwholesome fen / Drop on you both![…]1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
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Ambitransitive To touch with a sweeping motion, or lightly in passing.
Her scarf brushed his skin.
Some spread their sails, some with strong oars sweep / The waters smooth, and brush the buxom wave.1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:
2 more examples
Brushed with the hiss of rustling wings.1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
Maybe you will find a love that you discover accidentally, who falls against you gently as a pickpocket brushes your thigh.1990 October 28, Paul Simon, “Further to Fly”, in The Rhythm of the Saints, Warner Bros.:
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To clean one's teeth by brushing them.
Of course, Halloween does not have to be completely treatless. Plain chocolate candy is okay, provided you remember to brush afterwards.2000, USA Today, volume 129, numbers 2662-2673, page 92: