n. the Jewish rite of circumcision.
Syn. -- Berith, Brith. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the shattering or crushing effect of a sudden release of energy as in an explosion; -- used especially as a measure of such a shattering power, applied to high explosives. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to brisance. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. having the ability to shatter, as contrasted with merely fracturing; -- of explosives. the more brisant explosives, such as dynamite, will shatter rock into smaller fragments than the less brisant, such as gunpowder. [ WordNet 1.5 + PJC ]

a. [ Cf. W. brysg, fr. brys haste, Gael. briosg quick, lively, Ir. broisg a start, leap, jerk. ] 1. Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action; lively; spirited; quick. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cheerily, boys; be brick awhile. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Brisk toil alternating with ready ease. Wordworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Full of spirit of life; effervesc&unr_;ng, as liquors; sparkling; as, brick cider. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Active; lively; agile; alert; nimble; quick; sprightly; vivacious; gay; spirited; animated. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Bricked p. pr. & vb. n. Bricking. ] To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate; to take, or cause to take, an erect or bold attitude; -- usually with up. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. to become brisk.
Syn. -- brisk, brisk up. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bruskette, OF. bruschet, F. bréchet, brichet; prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. brysced the breast of a slain animal, brisket, Corn. vrys breast, Armor. brusk, bruched, the front of the chest, Gael. brisgein the cartilaginous part of a bone. ] That part of the breast of an animal which extends from the fore legs back beneath the ribs; also applied to the fore part of a horse, from the shoulders to the bottom of the chest. [ See Illust. of Beef. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a brisk manner; nimbly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Liveliness; vigor in action; quickness; gayety; vivacity; effervescence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a small fatty European fish; usually smoked or canned.
Syn. -- sprat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a small herring (Clupea sprattus) processed like a sardine.
Syn. -- sprat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bristel, brustel, AS. bristl, byrst; akin to D. borstel, OHG. burst, G. borste, Icel. burst, Sw. borst, and to Skr. bh&rsdot_;shti edge, point, and prob, L. fastigium extremity, Gr. 'a`flaston stern of a ship, and E. brush, burr, perh. to brad. √96. ] 1. A short, stiff, coarse hair, as on the back of swine. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A stiff, sharp, roundish hair. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bristled p. pr. & vb. n. Bristling ] 1. To erect the bristles of; to cause to stand up, as the bristles of an angry hog; -- sometimes with up. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now for the bare-picked bone of majesty
Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Boy, bristle thy courage up. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To fix a bristle to; as, to bristle a thread. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To rise or stand erect, like bristles. [ 1913 Webster ]

His hair did bristle upon his head. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To appear as if covered with bristles; to have standing, thick and erect, like bristles. [ 1913 Webster ]

The hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten thousand bayonets. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ports bristling with thousands of masts. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To show defiance or indignation. [ 1913 Webster ]

To bristle up, to show anger or defiance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. grasses of grasslands and woodlands having large gracefully arching spikes with long bristles beneath each spikelet.
Syn. -- bristle grass. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. resembling a bristle in stiffness.
Syn. -- bristly. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Bot.) Terminating in a very fine, sharp point, as some leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling a bristle in form; as, a bristle-shaped leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) An insect of the genera Lepisma, Campodea, etc., belonging to the Thysanura. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of having bristles. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Thick set with bristles, or with hairs resembling bristles; rough. [ 1913 Webster ]

The leaves of the black mulberry are somewhat bristly. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A seaport city in the west of England. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bristol board, a kind of fine pasteboard, made with a smooth but usually unglazed surface. --
Bristol brick, a brick of siliceous matter used for polishing cultery; -- originally manufactured at Bristol. --
Bristol stone, rock crystal, or brilliant crystals of quartz, found in the mountain limestone near Bristol, and used in making ornaments, vases, etc. When polished, it is called Bristol diamond. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] 1. (Fort.) Any part of a rampart or parapet which deviates from the general direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Her.) A mark of cadency or difference. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. creber close + sulcus furrow. ] (Zool.) Marked with closely set transverse furrows. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., fr. pref. dé- (L. dis) + briser to break, shatter; perh. of Celtic origin. ] 1. (Geol.) Broken and detached fragments, taken collectively; especially, fragments detached from a rock or mountain, and piled up at the base. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Rubbish, especially such as results from the destruction of anything; remains; ruins. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Russian Hist.) One of those who conspired for constitutional government against the Emperor Nicholas on his accession to the throne at the death of Alexander I., in December, 1825; -- called also Dekabrist.

He recalls the history of the decembrists . . . that gallant band of revolutionists. G. Kennan. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A Decembrist. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One who balances himself in unnatural positions and hazardous movements; a balancer. [ 1913 Webster ]

When the equilibrist balances a rod upon his finger. Stewart. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ L. ex from + libris books. ] An inscription, label, or the like, in a book indicating its ownership; esp., a bookplate. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F. septembriste. ] An agent in the massacres in Paris, committed in patriotic frenzy, on the 22d of September, 1792. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Vibrissae [ L. vibrissae, pl., the hairs in the nostrils of man, fr. vibrare to vibrate; -- so called because touching them tickles a person, and causes him to shake his head. ] 1. (Anat.) One of the specialized or tactile hairs which grow about the nostrils, or on other parts of the face, in many animals, as the so-called whiskers of the cat, and the hairs of the nostrils of man. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The bristlelike feathers near the mouth of many birds. [ 1913 Webster ]