■ noun
1》 a violent or savage person or animal.
↘ informal a cruel or insensitive person.
2》 an animal as opposed to a human being.
■ adjective
1》 unreasoning and animal-like.
2》 merely physical: ~ force.
3》 harsh or inescapable: ~ necessity.
Derivatives
brutish adjective
brutishly adverb
brutishness noun
Origin
ME (as adjective): from OFr. brut(e) , from L. brutus 'dull, stupid'.