Dictionary

brassy en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɹæs.i/ (Canada, US)
• /ˈbɹæs.i/ (Australia, General-South-African, New-Zealand, UK)
• brăsʹē (Canada, US)
• /ˈbɹɑː.si/ (Australia, General-South-African, New-Zealand, UK)

Etymology

From brass + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning “having the quality of”).

Meanings

1. Resembling brass.
   • The cup had a brassy color.
2. (informal) Impudent; impudently bold.
   • Don’t get brassy with me, young lady!
   • There's more than one way to declare independence, after all, and whereas Beyoncé announced hers with a brassy single, Ashanti tucks a similar spirit into every not-quite-heartbroken lyric. 2003 July 6, Kelefa Sanneh, “The Solo Beyoncé: She's No Ashanti”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2021:
3. Unfeeling; pitiless.
4. Harsh in tone.
   • an organ stop with a brassy tone

Forms

Coordinates

bronzish · bronzy

Deriveds

brassily · brassiness

Relateds

brass · brazen

Synonyms

brazen · brassish · sassy

Translations (4)

fi messinkimäinen (resembling brass) · pdt driest (impudently bold) · fi koppava (impudently bold) · tr pirincimsi (resembling brass)

brassy en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɹæs.i/
• brăsʹē

Etymology

From brass + -y (suffix forming diminutive nouns).

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of brassie (“type of golf club”).
   alt of brassie

Forms

brassy en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɹæs.i/
• brăsʹē

Etymology

Uncertain.

Meanings

1. Kyphosus vaigiensis, a fish found in southeast Asia.

Forms