bray
Meanings
- Of an animal (now chiefly of animals related to the ass or donkey, and the camel): to make its cry.
- To make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray.
- To make or utter (a shout, sound, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner.
- The cry of an animal, now chiefly that of animals related to the ass or donkey, or the camel.
- Any discordant, grating, or harsh sound.
- To crush or pound, especially using a pestle and mortar.
- To hit (someone or something).
- A surname.
- A place name:
- A village and civil parish in Windsor and Maidenhead borough, Berkshire, England (OS grid ref SU9079).
- A river in Devon, England, which flows south to join the River Mole at Meethe; in full, the River Bray.
- A coastal town in County Wicklow, Ireland (Irish grid ref O 2617).
- A commune in Saône-et-Loire department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.
- A commune in Eure department, Normandy, France.
- A township in Pennington County, Minnesota, United States, named after an early settler.
- A town in Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States.
- A village in Kgalagadi district, Botswana, opposite Bray, South Africa.
- A village in Kagisano-Molopo local municipality, North West province, South Africa, opposite Bray, Botswana.
- A locality in Robe council area and Wattle Range council area, South Australia.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English brayen, brai, bray, braye (“of a person or animal: to vocalize loudly; of the weather: to make a loud sound, howl, roar”), from Old French brai, braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to cry or shout out”) (modern French braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”)), possibly from Vulgar Latin *bragiō, from Gaulish *bragu (compare Breton breugiñ (“to bray”), brammañ (“to flatulate”), Cornish bramma, brabma (“to flatulate”), Old Irish braigid (“to flatulate”)), from Proto-Celtic *brageti, *bragyeti (“to flatulate”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreHg- (“to flatulate; to stink”); cognate with Latin fragrō (“to smell”). Alternatively, the word could be from a Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), and cognate with frangere (“to break, shatter”). The noun is derived from the verb, or from Middle English brai, brait (“shriek; outcry”), from Old French brai, brait (“a cry”), from braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”); see above.