brain

See also: Brain

English

Etymology

Picture dictionary

head

skull

brain

eye

lip

nose

mouth

chin

jaw

ear

temple

neck

Click on labels in the image.

A human brain

From Middle English brayn, brain, from Old English bræġn (“brain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bragn, from Proto-Germanic *bragną (“brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mregʰnom (“skull, brain”), from Proto-Indo-European *mregʰ- (“marrow, sinciput”) + *-mn̥ (“nominal suffix”).

Cognate with Scots braine, brane (“brain”), North Frisian brayen, brein (“brain”), Saterland Frisian Brainge (“brain”), West Frisian brein (“brain”), Dutch brein (“brain”), Low German Brägen, Bregen (“brain”) (whence German Bregen (“animal brain”)), Ancient Greek βρεχμός (brekhmós, “front part of the skull, top of the head”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: brān, IPA^(key): /bɹeɪn/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: brane
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Noun

brain (countable and uncountable, plural brains)

2. The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.

   Synonyms: encephalon, harns; see also Thesaurus:brain

   • 1587, Philip of Mornay [i.e., Philippe de Mornay], “That there is but Onely One God”, in Philip Sidney, Arthur Golding, transl., A Woorke Concerning the Trewnesse of the Christian Religion, […], London: […] [John Charlewood and] George Robinson for Thomas Cadman, […], →OCLC, page 18:

     The Ueynes are ſpred foorth throughout the whole bodie, howbeit from one welhead, that is to ſay from the Liuer: ſo be the Sinews, howbeit from the Brayne; So likewiſe are the Heartſtrings, howbeit from the Heart.

   • 2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly‎^[1], volume 189, number 6, page 34:

     Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.  ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.

   1. A part of the brain, especially associated with particular mental functions, abilities, etc.
      • 1892, Benjamin Ward Richardson, The Asclepiad, London, page 357:

        The left brain, or that which supplies and animates the right side of the body, is the most active brain, as a general rule.

      • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 113:

        What is expressed in the lotus, the plumed serpent, or the staff of Osiris is the yogi's knowledge of the three brains of man. The first brain is the reptilian brain of the spinal cord, the brain of instinctive reflexes, the brain of the subconscious.

3. (informal) An intelligent person.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:genius

   She was a total brain.

   • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Nexus:

     Peebee: The brains and I are comparing Remnant notes and filling in the blanks.

   1. (plural only) A person who provides the intelligence required for something.

      He is the brains behind the scheme.

4. (in the plural) Intellect.
   • 2008 Quaker Action (magazine) Rights trampled in rush to deport immigrant workers, Fall 2008, Vol. 89, No. 3, p. 8:

     "We provided a lot of brains and a lot of heart to the response when it was needed," says Sandra Sanchez, director of AFSC's Immigrants' Voice Program in Des Moines.

   She has a lot of brains.

   1. (in the singular) An intellectual or mental capacity.

      Gerald always acts like he doesn't have a brain.

5. By analogy with a human brain, the part of a machine or computer that performs calculations.

   The computer's brain is capable of millions of calculations a second.

6. (slang, vulgar, uncountable) Oral sex.
   • 2007, “Good Life”, in Graduation, performed by Kanye West ft. T-Pain:

     Have you ever popped champagne on a plane, while gettin' some brain?

   • 2012, Mack Maine featuring Turk and Mystikal, I'm On It:

     You said I got brain from your dame in the range / In the passing lane / But you really ain't got no proof

   • 2018, “Squidrific”, performed by SahBabii:

     She giving brain / She eat the dick up like some M&Ms

7. (informal) Mind.

   I have too much on my brain today.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XIV, page 22:

     And I should tell him all my pain, / ⁠And how my life had droop’d of late, / ⁠And he should sorrow o’er my state / And marvel what possess’d my brain; […]

8. A loose compartment of a backpack that straps on over the top opening.

Alternative forms

• brayne (obsolete)

Derived terms

• addle-brain
• afterbrain
• assbrain
• baby brain
• battle of the brains
• beanbrain
• beat one's brain
• beat one's brains out
• beat someone's brains out
• beat someone's brains out
• beetlebrain
• bend the brain
• big brain
• bird brain
• birdbrain
• bird of one's own brain
• blood-brain barrier
• blow someone's brains out
• blubberbrain
• Boltzmann brain
• booger brain
• bored out of one's brains
• Bowmar Brain
• brainal
• brainball
• brain-bending
• brain bleach
• brain bleed
• brainbox
• brain bucket
• brain-bucket
• brainbuster
• brain cancer
• brain candy
• braincase
• braincast
• brain cell
• brainchild
• brain chip
• brain cloud
• brain coral
• braincraft
• brain cramp
• brain-cramp
• brain damage
• brain-damaged
• braindance
• brain day
• brain-dead
• brain dead, braindead
• brain death
• brain disease
• brain disorder
• brain doctor
• brain drain
• brain dump
• brainectomy
• brainer
• brain fade
• brain fag
• brain farm
• brain fart
• brainfest
• brain-fever
• brain fever
• brain-fever bird
• brain fingerprinting
• brain fluid
• brain fog
• brainfood
• brain food
• brain freeze
• brainfuck
• Brainfuck
• brainful
• brain gain
• brain-gain
• braingasm
• braingraph
• brain graph
• brain grey
• brain heavy
• brainhood
• brainiac
• brainial
• brain imaging
• brain implant
• brainish
• brainist
• brainless
• brainlet
• brainlike
• brain like a sieve
• brainlock
• brainly
• brain-melting
• brain-meltingly
• brain mushroom
• brain-numbing
• brainordinate
• brainpan
• brain-pan
• brainpower
• brain-rot
• brain rot
• brain sand
• brainscan
• brain-scanner
• brain scanner
• brain science
• brainsick
• brainspace
• brain-stabbing
• brain stem, brainstem
• brain-storm
• brain storm
• brainstorm
• brains trust
• brains-truster
• brain sugar
• brain surgeon
• brain surgery
• braintape
• brain-tape
• brainteaser
• brain-teaser, brainteaser
• brainteasing
• brain traffic
• brain trick
• brain trust
• brain tumor, brain tumour
• brainwash
• brainwashing
• brain-washing
• brain wave
• brainwave
• brain weary
• brainwide
• brainwipe
• brainwork
• brain worker
• brainworker
• brain worm
• brain-worm
• brainworm
• brain-wormed
• brainwriting
• brainy
• brain zap
• bubble brain
• car brain
• chemobrain
• chemo brain
• cockbrain
• crackbrain
• critical brain hypothesis
• cudgel one's brain
• cudgel one's brains
• cumbrain
• debrain
• deep brain stimulation
• der-brain
• dickbrain
• dick-brain
• dirtbrain
• doodlebrain
• dur-brain
• durr-brain
• eigenbrain
• electronic brain
• endbrain
• featherbrain
• feather-brain
• featherbrained
• fish-brain
• fleabrain
• forebrain
• Fox News brain
• fuckbrain
• fuck someone's brains out
• galaxy brain
• galaxy-brain
• give brain
• hairbrained
• half a brain
• harebrain
• harebrained
• hemibrain
• hindbrain
• hot-brain
• interbrain
• intrabrain
• jellybrain
• jingle-brains
• jingle brains
• Jupiter brain
• lackbrain
• lame brain
• lame-brain
• lamebrain
• laserbrain
• leaky brain syndrome
• left brain
• lizard brain
• madbrain
• Matrioshka brain
• microbrain
• midbrain
• minimal brain dysfunction
• mommy brain
• more money than brains
• musclebrain
• muscle-eye-brain disease
• nerdbrain
• no-brainer
• nonbrain
• on the brain
• organic brain syndrome
• outbrain
• pea brain
• pea-brain
• peabrain
• peripheral brain
• permanent brain
• pick someone's brain
• pick someone's brains
• pregnancy brain
• puke one's brains out
• rack one's brain, rack one's brains
• rack one's brains
• rattlebrain
• reptilian brain
• reverse brain drain
• right brain
• roof-brain chatter
• scatterbrain
• scatterbrained
• second brain
• shitbrain
• shit-for-brains
• shit for brains
• smell-brain
• smooth brain
• smooth-brained
• split brain
• superbrain
• tardbrain
• ticklebrain
• tornado brain
• trash for brains
• traumatic brain injury
• triune brain
• 'tweenbrain
• 'twixt-brain
• wash one's brain out with soap
• water on the brain
• wet brain
• wetbrain
• wrack one's brain
• wrack one's brains
• yellow brain
• yellow brain fungus
• yes-brainer

 

Translations

organ

• Abkhaz: ахшыбаҩ (axŝəbajʷ)
• Adyghe: please add this translation if you can
• Afrikaans: brein (af), harsings (af) pl
• Aklanon: utok
• Albanian: tru (sq) m
• Amharic: አንጎል (ʾängol)
• Apache:

  Western Apache: bitsighąąʼ

• Arabic: دِمَاغ m (dimāḡ), مخ m (muḵḵ)

  Egyptian Arabic: مخ m (muḵḵ), نفوخ m (nafūḵ)

  Hijazi Arabic: دِماغ m (dimāḡ), مُخ m (muḵḵ)

  Moroccan Arabic: مخ m (muḵḵ), دماغ m (dmāḡ)

  North Levantine Arabic: دماغ m (dmāḡ), مخ m (miḵḵ)

  South Levantine Arabic: مخ m (muḵḵ), دماغ m (dmāḡ)

• Aragonese: celebro
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܡܘܚܐ m (mūḥā)

• Armenian: ուղեղ (hy) (uġeġ)
• Aromanian: crier m, mãduã f, midulj n
• Assamese: মগজু (mogozu)
• Asturian: cerebru (ast) m
• Azerbaijani: beyin (az)
• Bashkir: мейе (meye)
• Basque: garun (eu)
• Bau Bidayuh: otok, otok
• Belarusian: мозг m (mozh), мо́заг m (mózah) (Taraškievica)
• Bengali: মস্তিষ্ক (bn) (mostiśko), মগজ (bn) (mogoj)
• Bhojpuri: दिमाग (dimāg)
• Bikol Central: hutok (bcl)
• Binukid: utek
• Breton: empenn (br) m
• Buginese: uta
• Bulgarian: мо́зък (bg) m (mózǎk)
• Burmese: ဦးနှောက် (my) (u:hnauk)
• Buryat: тархи (tarxi)
• Carpathian Rusyn: мо́зоґ m (mózog)
• Catalan: cervell (ca) m
• Cebuano: utok
• Chechen: хье (ḥʳe), хьекъал (ḥʳeqʼal)
• Cherokee: ᎤᏅᏥᏓ (unvtsida)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 腦／脑 (nou⁵), 腦部／脑部 (nou⁵ bou⁶)

  Dungan: нозы (nozɨ)

  Eastern Min: 頭腦／头脑 (tàu-nō̤)

  Hakka: 頭腦／头脑 (thèu-nó)

  Hokkien: 腦／脑 (zh-min-nan) (náu), 腦部／脑部 (zh-min-nan) (náu-pō͘)

  Mandarin: 頭腦／头脑 (zh) (tóunǎo), 腦／脑 (zh) (nǎo), 腦部／脑部 (zh) (nǎobù), 腦子／脑子 (zh) (nǎozi)

  Northern Min: 頭腦／头脑 (tê-nǎu)

  Wu: 腦／脑 (⁶nau), 腦子／脑子 (⁶nau-tsy)

• Chuvash: миме (mime)
• Crimean Tatar: miy, dimağ
• Czech: mozek (cs) m
• Dakota: nasúna
• Dalmatian: carviale m
• Danish: hjerne (da) c
• Dargwa: мехӏе (meḥe)
• Dhivehi: ސިކުނޑި (sikuⁿḍi)
• Dupaningan Agta: utak
• Dutch: hersenen (nl) pl, hersens (nl) pl, brein (nl) n
• Eastern Arrernte: akurrknge
• Egyptian: (ꜣjs n ḏnnt m), (ꜥmm m)
• Elfdalian: ienne m
• Erzya: пряудем (pŕauďem), удем (uďem)
• Esperanto: cerbo (eo), encefalo
• Estonian: aju (et)
• Even: иргэ (irgə)
• Evenki: иргэ (irgə)
• Faroese: heili m
• Finnish: aivot (fi) pl
• French: cerveau (fr) m, (pejorative or when used as food) cervelle (fr) f, encéphale (fr) m
• Friulian: cerviel m, čurviel m
• Galician: cerebro (gl) m
• Georgian: ტვინი (ṭvini)
• German: Gehirn (de) n, Hirn (de) n
• Greek: εγκέφαλος (el) m (egkéfalos), (when used as food) μυαλά (el) n pl (myalá)

  Ancient: ἐγκέφαλος m (enképhalos)

• Greenlandic: qarasaq
• Gujarati: મગજ (gu) (magaj)
• Guugu Yimidhirr: garu
• Haitian Creole: sèvo, sèvèl
• Hawaiian: lolo
• Hebrew: מוח \ מֹחַ (he) m (móakh)
• Higaonon: otok
• Hiligaynon: utok
• Hindi: भेजा (hi) m (bhejā), मस्तिष्क (hi) m (mastiṣk), दिमाग़ m (dimāġ), मग़्ज़ m (maġz), मग्ज (hi) m (magj)
• Hungarian: agy (hu)
• Icelandic: heili (is) m
• Ido: cerebro (io)
• Ilocano: utek
• Indonesian: otak (id), benak (id)
• Ingrian: aivo
• Ingush: хьоа (ḥʳoa)
• Interlingua: cerebro
• Irish: inchinn f
• Italian: cervello (it) m, (pejorative or when used as food) cervella f pl
• Ivatan: otek
• Japanese: 脳 (ja) (のう, nō), 脳髄 (ja) (のうずい, nōzui), 頭脳 (ja) (ずのう, zunō), 脳 (ja) (なずき, nazuki)
• Javanese: utek (jv)
• Jeju: 머릿골 (meoritgol), 골머리 (golmeori)
• Kabuverdianu:

  ALUPEC: cerébr'

  Badiu: sirébru

  São Vicente: cerebro

• Kala Lagaw Ya: please add this translation if you can
• Kalmyk: экн (ekn)
• Kannada: ಮೆದುಳು (kn) (meduḷu), ಮಸ್ತಿಷ್ಕ (kn) (mastiṣka), ಮಿದುಳು (kn) (miduḷu)
• Kapampangan: utak
• Karelian: aivot
• Kashubian: mùsk m
• Kaurna: mukamuka, ngarrumuka
• Kazakh: ми (mi)
• Khmer: ខួរក្បាល (khuə kbaal)
• Kikuyu: tombo
• Kiput: utek
• Komi-Permyak: вем (vem)
• Komi-Zyrian: вем (vem)
• Korean: 뇌(腦) (ko) (noe), 두뇌(頭腦) (ko) (dunoe), 골 (ko) (gol), 머릿골 (meoritgol)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: مێشک (ckb) (mêşk)

  Northern Kurdish: demax (ku) m, mejî (ku) m

• Kyrgyz: мээ (ky) (mee)
• Lak: ня (naˤ)
• Lao: ສະໝອງ (lo) (sa mǭng)
• Latgalian: smedzinis pl
• Latin: cerebrum n
• Latvian: smadzenes pl
• Lenakel: nenourək
• Lezgi: мефтӏ (mefṭ)
• Lithuanian: smegenys f pl
• Lombard: cervell
• Low German: Brägen (nds) m
• Lü: ᦀᦸᧅᧈᦶᦀᧅᧈ (˙ʼoak¹˙ʼaek¹)
• Luxembourgish: Gehir
• Macedonian: мозок m (mozok)
• Makasar: uta
• Malagasy: atidoha (mg)
• Malay: otak (ms), benak
• Malayalam: തലച്ചോറ് (talaccōṟ‌), മൂള (ml) (mūḷa), മസ്തിഷ്കം (ml) (mastiṣkaṁ)
• Maltese: moħħ m
• Manchu: ᡶᡝᡥᡳ (fehi)
• Mansaka: otok
• Maori: roro
• Maranao: otek
• Marathi: मेंदू m (mendū)
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: вем (vem), вуйдорык (vujdoryk)

• Moksha: уй (uj)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: тархи (mn) (tarxi)

  Mongolian: ᠲᠠᠷᠢᠬᠢ (tariki)

• Nahuatl: cuātextli (nah)
• Nanai: игэ (ige)
• Navajo: atsiighąąʼ
• Nepali: मस्तिष्क (mastiṣka)
• Nivkh: ӈаўр̌к (ŋawřk)
• Norman: chèrvé m
• North Frisian: Brain (Sylt)
• Northern Thai: ᩋᩬᨠᩋᩴᩬ
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hjerne m

  Nynorsk: hjerne m, heile m

• Occitan: cervèl (oc) m
• Odia: ମସ୍ତିଷ୍କ (or) (mastishka)
• Ojibwe: (my brain) niinindib
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: мозгъ m (mozgŭ)

  Glagolitic: ⰿⱁⰸⰳⱏ m (mozgŭ)

• Old East Slavic: мозгъ m (mozgŭ)
• Old English: bræġn n
• Old High German: hirni n
• Old Saxon: hirni n
• Oromo: sammuu
• Ossetian: магъз (maǧz)
• Ottoman Turkish: بینی (beyni), دماغ (demağ), مغز (mağz), مخ (muh)
• Pali: matthaluṅga
• Pashto: ماغزه (ps) (māğza)
• Persian:

  Dari: مَغْز (fa) (mağz), دِمَاغ (fa) (dimāğ)

  Iranian Persian: مَغْز (fa) (mağz), دِماغ (fa) (demâğ) (archaic)

• Piedmontese: sërvel m
• Pitjantjatjara: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: mózg (pl) m
• Portuguese: cérebro (pt) m
• Punjabi:

  Gurmikhi: ਦਿਮਾਗ m (dimāg)

  Shahmukhi: دِماغ m (dimāġ)

• Quechua: ñutgo, togşu
• Romanian: creier (ro) m
• Romansch: tscharvè m
• Russian: мозг (ru) m (mozg), мозги́ (ru) m pl (mozgí)
• Sanskrit: मस्तिष्क (sa) n (mastiṣka), तेजस (sa) n (tejasa)
• Santali: ᱦᱟᱛᱟᱲ (hataṛ), ᱵᱷᱮᱡᱟ (bheja)
• Sardinian: cerbedhu m, cerbeddu, cherveddu, carbedhu, carbeddu, cialbedhu, carvedhu, carveddu, carvedha, celbedhu, ciobedhus, ciorbedhu, gerbedhu, tzalbedhu
• Scots: harn
• Scottish Gaelic: eanchainn f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мо̏зак m

  Roman: mȍzak (sh) m

• Shan: ဢွၵ်းဢေႃ (shn) (ʼáuk ʼǎu)
• Sicilian: ciriveddu (scn) m
• Silesian: please add this translation if you can
• Sinhalese: මොළයේ (moḷayē)
• Slovak: mozog (sk) m
• Slovene: možgani (sl) m pl
• Somali: maskax (so)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: mórzgi pl

  Upper Sorbian: mozy pl

• Sotho: boko
• Southern Altai: мее (mee)
• Southern Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: cerebro (es) m
• Sudovian: stirgena f, mazgena f
• Swahili: ubongo (sw) class u
• Swedish: hjärna (sv) c
• Tagalog: (literally) utak n
• Tajik: мағз (tg) (maġz)
• Tamil: மூளை (ta) (mūḷai)
• Tarifit: aǧi m, amerɣiɣ m
• Tatar: ми (tt) (mi)
• Tausug: utuk
• Telugu: మెదడు (te) (medaḍu)
• Tetum: kakutak
• Thai: มันสมอง (man-sà-mɔ̌ɔng), สมอง (th) (sà-mɔ̌ɔng)
• Tibetan: ཀླད་པ (klad pa)
• Tigrinya: ሓንጎል (ḥangol)
• Tundra Nenets: немэй (nyemey°), нгэвэй (ngewey°)
• Turkish: beyin (tr)
• Turkmen: beýin
• Tuvan: мээ (mee)
• Tày: oóc áy, oóc éc
• Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎍𐎋 (mlk)
• Ukrainian: мо́зок m (mózok)
• Urdu: دِماغ (ur) m (dimāġ), مَغْز m (maġz), بھیجا m (bhejā)
• Uyghur: مېڭە (më'nge)
• Uzbek: miya (uz)
• Venetan: çervèl m, serveło m, zerveło m, servèl m, zhervèl, sarveło m, çarvèl m, zharvèl m, cèlebro m
• Vietnamese: óc (vi), não (vi)
• Volapük: brein (vo)
• Votic: ajud pl
• Walloon: cervea (wa) m
• Waray-Waray: utok
• Warlpiri: ngukunypa
• Welsh: ymennydd (cy)
• West Coast Bajau: utok
• West Frisian: brein, harsens (fy)
• Wiradjuri: kábuka
• Wolof: yóor
• Yakut: мэйии (meyii)
• Yami: etek
• Yiddish: מוח m (moyekh), געהירן (gehirn)
• Yoruba: ọ̀bụ́tụ̀n, ọpọlọ
• Zazaki: megz, mezg (diq)
• Zhuang: uk, ngog (dialectal), ukek (dialectal)

intelligent person

• Armenian: մոզգ (mozg), խելքի տոպրակ (xelkʻi toprak), խելք (hy) (xelkʻ)
• Bengali: জ্ঞানী (bn) (gêni), বিদ্যান (biddan)
• Bulgarian: мо́зък (bg) m (mózǎk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聰明人／聪明人 (cōngmíngrén)

• Dutch: brein (nl) n, breinbaas (nl) m
• Estonian: aju (et) (slang)
• Finnish: älykkö (fi)
• French: cerveau (fr) m, tête (fr) f
• German: Superhirn (de) n, Intelligenzbestie (de) f
• Greek: μυαλό (el) n (myaló), διάνοια (el) f (diánoia), ιδιοφυΐα (el) f (idiofyḯa)
• Japanese: 頭のいい人 (atama no ii hito), 秀才 (ja) (しゅうさい, shūsai), 智者 (ja) (ちしゃ, chisha)
• Malayalam: ബുദ്ധിമാന് (buddhimāṉ)
• Maori: mōhio
• Portuguese: crânio (pt) m (slang)
• Romanian: erudit (ro) m
• Swahili: bongo (sw)
• Tagalog: (literally) matalino
• Turkish: öke (tr), bilge (tr)

person providing intelligence

• Armenian: գլուխ (hy) (glux)
• Bengali: শাস্ত্রজ্ঞ (bn) (śastrojno)
• Bulgarian: мо́зък (bg) m (mózǎk)
• Catalan: cervell (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 智者 (zh) (jìzhě)

• Czech: mozek (cs) m
• Dutch: brein (nl) n
• Finnish: aivot (fi) pl
• French: cerveau (fr) m
• German: Kopf (de) m
• Greek: εγκέφαλος (el) m (egkéfalos), μυαλό (el) n (myaló)
• Japanese: 識者 (ja) (しきしゃ, shikisha), 知識人 (ja) (ちしきじん, chishiki jin), 知的指導者 (ちてきしどうしゃ, chitekishidōsha)
• Malayalam: തലച്ചോറ് (talaccōṟ‌), ബുദ്ധികേന്ദ്രം (buddhikēndraṁ)
• Portuguese: cabeça (pt) m or f
• Russian: мозг (ru) m (mozg), голова́ (ru) f (golová)
• Swahili: bongo (sw)
• Swedish: hjärna (sv) c
• Turkish: çaşıt (tr)
• Ukrainian: мо́зок m (mózok)

brains: intellect

• Armenian: խելք (hy) (xelkʻ)
• Asturian: cerebru (ast) m
• Belarusian: ро́зум m (rózum), рассу́дак m (rassúdak), глузд m (hluzd)
• Bengali: বুদ্ধি (bn) (buddhi), মেধা (bn) (medha)
• Bulgarian: ум (bg) m (um), разсъ́дък (bg) pl (razsǎ́dǎk)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 腦／脑 (nou⁵)

  Mandarin: 智力 (zh) (jìlì)

• Dutch: verstand (nl) m, intellect (nl) n
• Esperanto: cerbo (eo), intelekto, menso
• Estonian: aru (et), mõistus, taip (et)
• Finnish: äly (fi), älykkyys (fi), järki (fi), aivot (fi) pl
• German: Verstand (de) m, Köpfchen (de) n, Grips (de) m, Hirn (de) n
• Greek: μυαλό (el) n (myaló), νοημοσύνη (el) f (noïmosýni), νους (el) m (nous)
• Hebrew: שֵׂכֶל (he) m (sekhel)
• Japanese: 頭脳 (ja) (ずのう, zunō), 知能 (ja) (ちのう, chinou), 知力 (ja) (ちりょく, chiryoku)
• Latvian: prāts (lv) m, smadzenes pl
• Lithuanian: protas m
• Malayalam: ബുദ്ധി (ml) (buddhi)
• Maori: ihomatua
• Portuguese: intelecto (pt)
• Romanian: intelect (ro) n
• Russian: мозг (ru) m (mozg) (usually plural мозги́ (ru) (mozgí)), башка́ (ru) f (bašká), голова́ (ru) f (golová), рассу́док (ru) m (rassúdok), ум (ru) m (um)
• Scottish Gaelic: eanchainn f
• Slovene: možgani (sl) m pl
• Spanish: seso (es), sesudez
• Swahili: bongo (sw)
• Swedish: förstånd (sv) n
• Tagalog: (literally) talino
• Turkish: us (tr), anlak (tr)
• Ukrainian: ро́зум (uk) m (rózum), розсу́док m (rozsúdok), глузд m (hluzd)
• Vietnamese: trí óc (vi)

part of computer

• Czech: mozek (cs) m
• Estonian: aju (et)
• Finnish: aivot (fi) pl
• French: processeur (fr) m
• Greek: εγκέφαλος (el) m (egkéfalos)
• Swahili: bongo (sw)
• Turkish: beyin (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} empenn (br) m
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} smegenys

See also

• (brain lobes) brain lobe; frontal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe ^{(Category: en:Brain)}

Verb

brain (third-person singular simple present brains, present participle braining, simple past and past participle brained)

1. (transitive) To dash out the brains of; to kill by smashing the skull.
2. (transitive, slang) To strike (someone) on the head.
3. (transitive, figurative) To destroy; to put an end to.
   • 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 III, scene ii], page 12:

     There thou maiſt braine him,

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 82, column 2:

     It was the ſwift celeritie of his death / […] That brain'd my purpoſe:

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 21, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

     He was going on with some wild reminiscences about his tomahawk-pipe, which, it seemed, had in its two uses both brained his foes and soothed his soul, when we were directly attracted to the sleeping rigger.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To conceive in the mind; to understand.
   • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:

     'Tis still a dream, or else such stuff as madmen / Tongue, and brain not.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:brain.

Translations

to strike on the head

• Dutch: iemand op z'n kop slaan
• Finnish: iskeä päähän, kolkata (into unconsciousness)
• Japanese: 頭を殴りつける (あたまをなぐりつける, atama wo naguritsukeru)
• Swahili: bongo (sw), bongo (sw)

to kill a person by smashing the skull

• Bengali: মাথায় আঘাত করে হত্যা (mathaẏ aghat kore hotta)
• Dutch: iemand de kop inslaan
• Finnish: lyödä aivot pihalle, murskata kallo
• Japanese: 脳を打ち砕く (のうをうちくだく, nō o uchikudaku)
• Swahili: bongo (sw)

Further reading

• Category:brain on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• brain on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• human brain on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• brain on Wikiquote.Wikiquote

Anagrams

• Barin, Brian, Rabin, abrin, bairn, brian

Irish

Noun

brain m

1. inflection of bran:
   1. vocative/genitive singular
   2. nominative/dative plural

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
brain	bhrain	mbrain
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Middle English

Noun

brain

1. Alternative form of brayn

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• broin

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /branʲ/

Noun

brain m

1. inflection of bran:
   1. vocative/genitive singular
   2. nominative plural

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
brain	brain pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbrain
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brai̯n/
• Rhymes: -ai̯n
• Homophone: braen (“rotten”) (South Wales)

Etymology 1

Noun

brain m pl

1. plural of brân (“crow”)

Etymology 2

Noun

brain m or f (plural breiniau or breinau or breinioedd or breinion)

1. Alternative form of braint (“honour”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of brain

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
brain	frain	mrain	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “brain”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies