/ brʊk; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a small river
■ verb
not brook sth / brook no ... ( formal ) to not allow sth :
[ vn ]
The tone in his voice brooked no argument.
[also vn -ing ]
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WORD ORIGIN
noun Old English brōc , of unknown origin; related to Dutch broek and German Bruch marsh.
verb Old English brūcan use, possess , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bruiken and German brauchen . The current sense dates from the mid 16th cent., a figurative use of an earlier sense digest, stomach .