I. ˈbrüt, usu -üd.+V adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French brut rough, brutish, from Latin brutus stupid, irrational, literally, heavy; akin to Latin gravis heavy — more at grieve
1. : of, relating to, or typical of animals, brutes, or beasts : not possessed of human rational powers
the same kind of service for the brute world that the study of genealogy has rendered to human history — Encyc. Americana
2. : having neither life nor soul : not conscious or animate
as we left the harbor, the North Atlantic, brute gray, heckled the ship with its strength — Saul Bellow
3. : resembling an animal in quality, action, or instinct : brutal: as
a. : dull, stupid, and unreasoning
b. : cruel and savage : utterly lacking in sensitivity or higher feelings
c. : coarse and grossly sensual
the brute instinct that prompted the crime
4. : purely physical : involving no mental exertion or effort
by brute strength they broke the heavy door
5. : not influenced or governed by human intelligence : utterly insensible and unaffected by reason
6. : rough, crude, and unrefined : unrelieved and unmodified
the brute facts with which … we have to come to terms — Aldous Huxley
Synonyms: see brutal
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin brutus, from Latin brutus, adjective
1.
a. : an animal other than man of the class of mammals or certain other vertebrates : beast
b. chiefly dialect : a male bovine animal : bull
2. : one that is brutal ; especially : a coarse, insensate, unfeeling, crude, or cruel man
he was a drunken loutish brute
III.
obsolete
variant of bruit
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: back-formation from bruting
: to shape (a diamond) by rubbing or grinding with another diamond or a diamond chip