BRUTE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Brute

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noun

Brute n.

An animal destitute of human reason; any animal not human; esp. a quadruped; a beast. "Brutes may be considered as either aerial, terrestrial, aquatic, or amphibious."

A brutal person; a savage in heart or manners; as unfeeling or coarse person. "An ill-natured brute of a husband."

Synonyms: See Beast.

verb

Brute v. t. To report; to bruit. (Obs.)

adjective

Brute adj.

Not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without intelligence or volition; as, the brute earth; the brute powers of nature.

Not possessing reason, irrational; unthinking; as, a brute beast; the brute creation. "A creature... not prone And brute as other creatures, but endued With sanctity of reason."

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, a brute beast. Hence: Brutal; cruel; fierce; ferocious; savage; pitiless; as, brute violence. "The influence of capital and mere brute labor."

Having the physical powers predominating over the mental; coarse; unpolished; unintelligent. "A great brute farmer from Liddesdale."

Rough; uncivilized; unfeeling. (R.)

brute force, The application of predominantly physical effort to achieve a goal that could be accomplished with less effort if more carefully considered. Figuratively, repetitive or strenuous application of an obvious or simple tactic, as contrasted with a more clever stratagem achieving the same goal with less effort; as, the first prime numbers were discovered by the brute force repetition of the Sieve of Eratosthenes.

See images of 'Brute'

Etymology of 'Brute'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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