brink en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbɹiŋk/ Upper Midwestern US, Northwestern US, Canada
- (Southern-England) audio
- [ˈbɹʷæŋk] without æ-raising
- /ˈbɹɛ̃ŋk/ æ-raising
- /ˈbɹeɪ̯ŋk/ æ-raising
- [ˈbɹʷɪŋk]
- /ˈbɹɪŋk/
- [ˈbɹʷɛ̃ŋk] æ-raising
- [ˈbɹʷeɪ̯ŋk] æ-raising
- [ˈbɹʷiŋk] ~ [ˈbɹʷɪ̝ŋk] Upper Midwestern US, Northwestern US, Canada
- /ˈbɹæŋk/ without æ-raising
Etymology
From Middle English brinke, brenke, from Old Norse *brenka, brekka, from Proto-Germanic *brinkǭ, *brinkaz (“hill, edge (of land)”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰren- (“to project”). Cognate with Dutch brink (“grassland”), regional German Brink, Icelandic brekka (“slope”); also Tocharian B prenke (“island”), Irish braine (“prow”).
Meanings
-
The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge.
the brink of a river
And the appearance of it much comforted us, especially seeing so goodly a land, and wooded to the brink of the sea.
1622, Edward Winslow, William Bradford, Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth:
-
(figuratively) The edge or border.
As South Korea heads to the polls, can Lee Jae-myung bring the country back from the brink? [title]
2025 June 1, Raphael Rashid, “As South Korea heads to the polls, can Lee Jae-myung bring the country back from the brink?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:the brink of success
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| brinks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
brinkmate · brinkmanship · sea-brink · on the brink · brinkless · on the brink of · brink pink · brinksman
Translations (35)
it bordo (edge) · it orlo (edge) · mi ripa tauārai (edge) · sk hranica (edge) · ga colbha (edge) · es borde (edge) · gd oir (edge) · bg ръб (edge) · fi reuna (edge) · nl steile rand (edge) · ru грань (edge) · izh parras (edge) · ga broinne (edge) · sk hrana (edge) · sk pokraj (edge) · cs hrana (edge) · sk okraj (edge) · da rand (edge) · de Rand (edge) · es tope (edge) · nl rand (edge) · hy ծայր (edge) · sv kant (edge) · cs okraj (edge) · fr bord (edge) · it ciglio (edge) · fr lisière (edge) · fi parras (edge) · es límite (edge) · cs pokraj (edge) · bg край (edge) · hy եզր (edge) · ru край (edge) · da kant (edge) · pt beira (edge)