brilliant

brilliant

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɪljənt/

Adjective

brilliant (comparative more brilliant, superlative most brilliant)

1. Shining brightly.

   the brilliant lights along the promenade

2. (of a colour) Both bright and saturated.

   butterflies with brilliant blue wings

3. (of a voice or sound) Having a sharp, clear tone.
4. (Britain) Of surpassing excellence.

   The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant.

5. (Britain) Magnificent or wonderful.
6. Highly intelligent.

   She is a brilliant scientist.

Synonyms

• (shining brightly): glittering, shining
• (of a colour: both light and saturated):
• (of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone):
• (surpassing excellence): excellent, distinctive, striking, superb (obsolete except in UK usage)
• (magnificent or wonderful): exceptional, glorious, magnificent, marvellous/marvelous, splendid, wonderful (obsolete except in UK usage)
• (highly intelligent): brainy, ingenious
• See also Thesaurus:intelligent

Related terms

• brilliance
• brilliantine
• brilliantly
• brilliantness
• beryl (possibly)
• beryllium (possibly)
• brilliant green
• brilliant rummynose tetra

Translations

shining brightly

Belarusian: бліску́чы (bliskúčy) Bulgarian: ярък (bg) (jarǎk), блестящ (bg) (blestjašt) Catalan: brillant (ca) Czech: zářivý (cs) Dutch: stralend (nl) Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl Finnish: loistava (fi), säteilevä (fi) French: brillant (fr) Galician: brillante (gl) German: strahlend (de) Hebrew: מבריק‎ (mavryq) Irish: án (ga), lonrach Old Irish: gríanmar Italian: brillante (it), splendente (it), luccicante (it), sgargiante (it), lucente (it) Latin: lūculentus (la) Maori: koea Norwegian: lysende (no), strålende (no) Persian: لیان‎ (fa) (liyán), درخشان‎ (fa) (deraxšán), تابان‎ (fa) (tábán) Polish: błyszczący (pl) Portuguese: brilhante (pt) Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), сверка́ющий (ru) (sverkájuščij), я́ркий (ru) (járkij) Spanish: brillante (es) Swedish: lysande (sv), glänsande (sv), gnistrande (sv), strålande (sv) Tocharian B: lakᵤtse Ukrainian: блиску́чий (uk) (blyskúčyj) Volapük: nidik (vo) Welsh: gloyw (cy)

of a colour: both light and saturated

Bulgarian: искрящ (bg) (iskrjašt) Catalan: brillant (ca) Finnish: loistava (fi) French: brillant (fr) Galician: brillante (gl) German: strahlend (de), brillant (de) Italian: brillante (it) Norwegian: strålende (no) Portuguese: brilhante (pt) Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), со́чный (ru) (sóčnyj) Spanish: brillante (es)

of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone

Catalan: clar (ca) Finnish: kirkas (fi) French: brillant (fr) Galician: claro (gl) German: brillant (de) Italian: squillante (it) Norwegian: klar (no) Portuguese: claro (pt) Russian: хруста́льный (ru) (xrustálʹnyj)

of surpassing excellence

Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʿaylun) Azerbaijani: əla (az), parlaq (az) Bulgarian: блестящ (bg) (blestjašt) Catalan: brillant (ca) Czech: brilantní, skvělý (cs) Dutch: briljant (nl), meesterlijk (nl), virtuoos (nl) Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl Finnish: loistava (fi) French: brillant (fr) Galician: brillante (gl) German: brillant (de) Hungarian: briliáns Italian: brillante (it), fantastico (it), superlativo (it) Latin: lūculentus (la) Latvian: spožs, spilgts, izcils Norwegian: enestående, genial Polish: znakomity (pl), świetny (pl), błyskotliwy (pl), błyskotny (archaic) Portuguese: brilhante (pt) Punjabi: وَدّھِیا‎ (vaddhiyā) Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), блиста́тельный (ru) (blistátelʹnyj) Scottish Gaelic: sgoinneil Spanish: brillante (es) Swedish: mästerlig (sv), virtuosmässig

magnificent or wonderful (primarily UK usage)

Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʿaylun) Azerbaijani: möhtəşəm (az) Bulgarian: великолепен (bg) (velikolepen) Catalan: brillant (ca) Dutch: briljant (nl), schitterend (nl) Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl Finnish: loistava (fi) French: brillant (fr) Galician: brillante (gl) German: brillant (de) Italian: brillante (it), eccezionale (it), meraviglioso (it) Latvian: spožs, spilgts, izcils Norwegian: enestående, storslagen (no) Bokmål: glimrende Portuguese: brilhante (pt) Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), великоле́пный (ru) (velikolépnyj) Scottish Gaelic: sgoinneil Spanish: brillante (es) Swedish: briljant (sv), lysande (sv), strålande (sv), storslagen (sv)

highly intelligent

Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʿaylun) Belarusian: бліску́чы (bliskúčy) Catalan: brillant (ca) Dutch: briljant (nl), geniaal (nl) Esperanto: brila sg, brilaj pl Finnish: nerokas (fi) French: brillant (fr) Galician: brillante (gl) German: genial (de), brillant (de) Hebrew: מבריק‎ (mavryq) Indonesian: brilian (id) Italian: brillante (it), geniale (it), talentuoso (it), di successo Latvian: izcils Manx: ard-inçhynagh Norwegian: enestående, genial Polish: genialny (pl), błyskotliwy (pl), błyskotny (archaic) Portuguese: brilhante (pt) Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij) Spanish: brillante (es) Swedish: briljant (sv), genialisk (sv), högt (sv) begåvad (sv) Ukrainian: блиску́чий (uk) (blyskúčyj)

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

Mandarin: (please verify) 光明 (zh), (please verify) 燦爛 (zh), (please verify) 灿烂 (zh) (chán làn) Mandarin: (please verify) 出色的, 出色的 (chū sè de) Mandarin: (please verify) 明亮的, (please verify) 明亮的 (míng liàng de) Mandarin: (please verify) 明亮的, (please verify) 明亮的 (míng liàng de) Mandarin: (please verify) 英明的, (please verify) 英明的 (yīng míng de) Mandarin: (please verify) 輝煌的, (please verify) 辉煌的 (huī huáng de)

Noun

brilliant (countable and uncountable, plural brilliants)

1. A finely cut gemstone, especially a diamond, cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to maximize light return through the top (called "table") of the stone.
   • 1717, Alexander Pope, The Basset-Table

     This snuffbox — on the hinge see brilliants shine.

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), OCLC 630079698, page 257:

     On the one, a plain massive band which matched the collar; on the other, a serpent; the tail reached nearly to the elbow, and the head rose a little from the wrist; the tongue of a ruby, the eyes of large brilliants.

   • 1892 October 14, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of a Case of Identity”, in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, London: George Newnes, […], OCLC 4551407, page 57:

     "And the ring?" I asked, glancing at a remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon his finger.

2. (uncountable, printing, dated) The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.
3. Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa.
4. A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Descendants

• (small type size): (German) Brillant

Translations

cut gemstone

Azerbaijani: brilyant (az) Belarusian: брыльля́нт m (brylʹljánt), брылья́нт m (brylʹjánt) Bulgarian: брилянт (bg) m (briljant) Central Melanau: belian Dutch: briljant (nl) m Esperanto: brilianto Finnish: briljantti (fi) Galician: brillante (gl) Georgian: ბრილიანტი (brilianṭi) German: Brillant (de) m Hungarian: briliáns Indonesian: berlian (id) Italian: brillante (it) m, gemma (it) f, pietra preziosa f Kazakh: гауһар (gauhar), жауһар (jauhar) Malay: berlian (ms) Persian: برلیان‎ (fa) (brelyân) Portuguese: brilhante (pt) m Russian: бриллиа́нт (ru) m (brilliánt), брилья́нт (ru) m (brilʹjánt) Swedish: briljant (sv) c Turkish: pırlanta (tr) Ukrainian: брилья́нт (uk) m (brylʹjánt)

4-point type

Dutch: diamant (nl), robijn (nl), halve petit Finnish: neljän pisteen fontti French: perle (fr) German: Diamant (de) Italian: perla (it) Spanish: perla (es)

hummingbird of the genus Heliodoxa

Finnish: säihkykolibri

Further reading

• brilliant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• brilliant in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• brilliant at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Crimean Tatar

Etymology

French brillant.

Noun

brilliant

1. brilliant.

Declension

Declension of brilliant

nominative	brilliant
genitive	brilliantnıñ
dative	brilliantqa
accusative	brilliantnı
locative	brilliantta
ablative	brillianttan

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎, Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN