A.Word.A.Day --brandish

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Today's Word

brandish

PRONUNCIATION:

(BRAN-dish)

MEANING:

verb tr.: To hold or wave something (especially a weapon), in a threatening or triumphant manner.
noun: The act of waving or displaying something in an ostentatious or boastful manner.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Anglo-French brandir (to flourish or wave), from brant/brand (sword). Earliest documented use: verb: 1350, noun: 1601.

USAGE:

“‘Rammer Jammer’ starts with the brandish of fanfare.”
Mark Hughes Cobb; Why Alabama Once Banned ‘Dixieland Delight’ and ‘Rammer Jammer’; Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama); Sep 23, 2023.

“‘Some people call it a pizza cutter, but it’s a very good weapon,’ she said. Moore grabbed one and brandished it in the air.”
Natalie Meade; Sewing Circle; The New Yorker; Dec 16, 2024.

See more usage examples of brandish in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The ultimate sense of security will be when we come to recognize that we are all part of one human race. Our primary allegiance is to the human race and not to one particular color or border. I think the sooner we renounce the sanctity of these many identities and try to identify ourselves with the human race the sooner we will get a better world and a safer world. -Mohamed ElBaradei, diplomat, Nobel laureate (b. 17 Jun 1942)

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