Link Centre Dictionary

brick

UK/ˈbɹɪk/ US/ˈbɹɘk/ common informal slang uk

noun

1.

rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material

2.

Origin

From Late Middle English brik, bryke, bricke, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch bricke ("cracked or broken brick; tile-stone"; modern Dutch brik), ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *brekan (“to break”), whence also Old French briche and French brique (“brick”). Compare also German Low German Brickje (“small board, tray”). Related to break. The social media slang sense derives from memes about building up one's feed “brick by brick”, analogizing bricks with reels that inform the algorithm. The sense of a helpful, reliable person comes from Lycurgus referring to the army as the walls of Sparta, every man a brick.

Phrases

  • air brick
  • alphabet brick
  • bang one's head against a brick wall
  • Bath brick
  • Besser brick
  • brick and mortar
  • brick breaker
  • brick by brick
  • brick in
  • brick it
  • brick oneself
  • brick over

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.