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/
• Hyphenation: bril‧liant

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. (British) Of surpassing excellence.

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

5. (British) 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

Derived terms

• brilliancy
• brilliant green
• brilliantine
• brilliantly
• brilliantness
• brilliant rummynose tetra
• overbrilliant
• superbrilliant
• trilliant
• ultrabrilliant
• unbrilliant

 

Related terms

• beryl (possibly)
• beryllium (possibly)
• brilliance

 

Translations

shining brightly

• Belarusian: бліску́чы (bliskúčy)
• Bikol Central: maliwanag, malaad
• 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 (mavrik)
• Hindi: चमकीला (hi) (camkīlā)
• 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)
• Ottoman Turkish: نورانی (nurani), ایشق (ışık)
• Persian: لیان (fa) (liyân), درخشان (fa) (deraxšân), تابان (fa) (tâbân)
• 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)
• Hindi: चमकीला (hi) (camkīlā)
• 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) (pʻaylun)
• 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)
• Hindi: प्रतिभाशाली (hi) (pratibhāśālī), प्रतिभावान (hi) (pratibhāvān)
• Hungarian: briliáns (hu)
• 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 (vaddhīyā)
• Russian: блестя́щий (ru) (blestjáščij), блиста́тельный (ru) (blistátelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgoinneil
• Spanish: brillante (es)
• Swedish: mästerlig (sv), virtuosmässig (sv)

magnificent or wonderful (primarily UK usage)

• Armenian: փայլուն (hy) (pʻaylun)
• 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) (pʻaylun)
• Belarusian: бліску́чы (bliskúčy)
• Bikol Central: madunong (bcl), matali
• 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 (mavrik)
• Hindi: मेधावी (medhāvī)
• 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) (guāngmíng), ^{(please verify)} 燦爛／灿烂 (zh) (cànlàn), ^{(please verify)} 灿烂 (zh) (cànlàn) (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／辉煌的, ^{(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], chapter XXII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, 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.

   • 1891 [September, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Adventure III.—A Case of Identity.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume II (July to December), number [9], London: […], page 248, column 2:

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

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

Descendants

• (small type size): (German) Brillant
• → Malay: berlian
  • Indonesian: berlian

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 (hu)
• 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

• Catalan: colibrí diamant m
• Finnish: säihkykolibri
• French: brillant (fr) m

Further reading

• “brilliant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “brilliant”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “brilliant”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from 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]‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN