different between brail vs brawl

English

Etymology

From Middle English brayle, from Old French braiel, from Medieval Latin bracale (“girdle”) (from bracae (“breeches”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?e?l/
• Rhymes: -e?l

Noun

brail (plural brails)

1. (nautical) A small rope used to truss up sails.
2. (falconry) A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing.
3. A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched.
4. (theater) A rope or line used to suspend lights or scenery in a certain position.
5. (in the plural) The feathers around a hawk's rump.

Verb

brail (third-person singular simple present brails, present participle brailing, simple past and past participle brailed)

1. To reef, shorten or strike sail using brails.

References

• brail in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.

Anagrams

• Arbil, Baril, Blair, Bliar, Libra, Rabil, libra

Middle English

Noun

brail

1. Alternative form of brayle

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English barail.

Noun

brail (plural brailès)

1. barrel

References

• Jacob Poole (1867) , William Barnes, editor, A glossary, with some pieces of verse, of the old dialect of the English colony in the baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, J. Russell Smith, ?ISBN

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /b???l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /b??l/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /b??l/
• Rhymes: -??l

Etymology 1

The verb is derived from Late Middle English braulen, brall, brallen (“to clamour, to shout; to quarrel; to boast”); further etymology is uncertain, but the word could be related to bray and ultimately imitative. It may be cognate with Danish bralle (“to chatter, jabber”), Dutch brallen (“to boast”), Low German brallen (“to brag”), Middle High German pr?len (“to boast, flaunt”) (modern German prahlen (“to boast, flaunt, vaunt”)).

The noun is derived from Middle English brall, bralle, braul, braule, brawle (“disturbance, squabble; brawl”), from the verb braulen: see above.

Noun

brawl (plural brawls)

1. A disorderly argument or fight, usually with a large number of people involved.

   Synonyms: row, scuffle, squabble; see also Thesaurus:dispute, Thesaurus:fight

Derived terms

• brawly

Translations

Verb

brawl (third-person singular simple present brawls, present participle brawling, simple past and past participle brawled)

1. (intransitive) To engage in a brawl; to fight or quarrel.

   Synonyms: squabble, wrangle
2. (intransitive) To create a disturbance; to complain loudly.
3. (intransitive) Especially of a rapid stream running over stones: to make a loud, confused noise.
4. (transitive) To pour abuse on; to scold.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• brawler
• brawling (noun)

Translations

Etymology 2

Possibly from French branler (“to shake”), from Old French brandeler (“to shake, wave; to agitate”), from brand, branc (“blade of a sword”), from Vulgar Latin *brandus (“firebrand; flaming sword; sword”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *b?renu- (“to burn”).

Verb

brawl (third-person singular simple present brawls, present participle brawling, simple past and past participle brawled)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To move to and fro, to quiver, to shake.

   Synonyms: vibrate, waver

Etymology 3

From French branle (“type of dance; an act of shaking, a shake”), from branler (“to shake”), from Old French brandeler (“to shake, wave; to agitate”); see further at etymology 2.

Alternatively, the word could be derived from brawl (“(obsolete) to move to and fro, quiver, shake”): see etymology 2.

Noun

brawl (plural brawls)

1. (dance, obsolete) A type of dance move or step.
2. (dance, music, historical) Alternative form of branle (“dance of French origin dating from the 16th century, performed by couples in a circle or a line; the music for this dance”)

Notes

References