brisk

English

Etymology

Uncertain; probably a collateral form of brusque, but compare Irish briosc, Scottish Gaelic brisg, Welsh brys.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɹɪsk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪsk

Adjective

brisk (comparative brisker or more brisk, superlative briskest or most brisk)

1. Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action.

   Synonyms: lively, spirited, quick

   We took a brisk walk yesterday.

   • 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 10:

     On such occasions he would remark--
     "Shaving may add an air that's somewhat brisker,
     For dignity, commend me to the whisker."

   • 2012 December 29, Paul Doyle, “Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Ba, who has been linked with a January move to Arsenal, should have rewarded their brisk start with the opening goal in the 16th minute.

2. Full of spirit of life; effervescing.
3. (archaic) Sparkling; fizzy.

   brisk cider

4. Stimulating or invigorating.

   This morning was a brisk fall day. It wasn't cold enough for frost, but you wanted to keep moving.

   • 1896, A. E. Housman, “Terence, this is stupid stuff”, in A Shropshire Lad:

     Why, if 'tis dancing you would be, / There's brisker pipes than poetry.

5. Abrupt, curt in one's manner or in relation to others.
   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 15”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:

     Her manner was brisk, and her good-breeding scarcely concealed her conviction that if you were not a soldier you might as well be a counter-jumper.

Derived terms

• briskish
• briskly
• briskness
• brisky

 

Translations

full of liveliness and activity

• Arabic: دَجِر (dajir)
• Bulgarian: жив (bg) (živ), оживен (bg) (oživen)
• Czech: bystrý (cs), energetický (cs)
• Dutch: levendig (nl)
• Finnish: terhakka (fi), reipas (fi), rivakka (fi), riuska
• French: animé (fr)
• German: lebhaft (de), rege (de), vital (de)
• Hindi: फुरतीला (hi) (phurtīlā)
• Italian: vivace (it) m or f
• Korean: 활기 있는 (hwalgi inneun)
• Latin: alacer, strēnuus
• Latvian: žirgts, spirgts, ņiprs, možs, mundrs, kustīgs
• Maori: haukori, hihiko, manahau
• Polish: energiczny (pl)
• Portuguese: vivo (pt), vivaz (pt), brioso (pt) m
• Russian: живо́й (ru) (živój), оживлённый (ru) (oživljónnyj), энерги́чный (ru) (energíčnyj)
• Spanish: brioso (es), enérgico (es)
• Swedish: livlig (sv)

full of spirit of life

• Arabic: دَجِر (dajir)
• Czech: čilý (cs), živý (cs), energetický (cs)
• Dutch: opgewekt (nl)
• Esperanto: viveca
• Finnish: reipas (fi)
• French: vif (fr)
• German: lebhaft (de), vital (de)
• Greek: ζωηρός (el) (zoïrós)
• Italian: vivace (it)
• Japanese: 元気 (ja) (genki)
• Latin: vivax
• Maori: hīkaka, whitawhita
• Romanian: viguros (ro) m
• Russian: живо́й (ru) (živój), энерги́чный (ru) (energíčnyj)
• Spanish: vital (es)
• Swedish: livlig (sv), hurtig (sv)

stimulating or invigorating

• Bulgarian: свеж (bg) (svež)
• Czech: svěží
• Dutch: opwekkend (nl)
• Finnish: elvyttävä (fi)
• French: stimulant (fr)
• German: anregend (de)
• Portuguese: estimulante (pt) m, revigorante (pt) m
• Russian: све́жий (ru) (svéžij), бодря́щий (ru) (bodrjáščij)
• Spanish: vigorizante

abrupt, sharp in one's manner or tone

• Portuguese: brusco (pt) m
• Russian: ре́зкий (ru) (rézkij), отры́вистый (ru) (otrývistyj)
• Spanish: brusco (es)
• Swedish: brysk (sv)

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

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} briska (io)

See also

• brusque

Verb

brisk (third-person singular simple present brisks, present participle brisking, simple past and past participle brisked)

1. (transitive, intransitive, often with "up") To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate.

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• Birks, birks

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *britška, from Proto-Slavic *bričьkъ, diminutive of *bričь (“id”).

Noun

brisk m (plural brisqe, definite brisku, definite plural brisqet)

1. razor, penknife

Declension

Declension of brisk

	indefinite		definite
	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	brisk	brisqe	brisku	brisqet
accusative			briskun
dative	brisku	brisqeve	briskut	brisqeve
ablative		brisqesh

Lithuanian

Alternative forms

• briski

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bʲrʲɪs̪k]

Verb

brìsk

1. second-person singular imperative of bristi

Norwegian Nynorsk

Briskebusk på Larvikstranda forma av havvinden

Alternative forms

• bresk (dialectal)

Etymology 1

Possibly onomatopoetic of the sound made when put on fire.

Noun

brisk m (definite singular brisken, indefinite plural briskar, definite plural briskane)

1. juniper

   Synonyms: brake, einer, eine

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German britse, britsche, briske.

Noun

brisk m (definite singular brisken, indefinite plural briskar, definite plural briskane)

1. a wall-bound sleeping bench