Link Centre Dictionary

brink

UK/ˈbɹɪŋk/ US/ˈbɹʷɪŋk/ fairly common

noun

1.
2.

the edge of a steep place

3.

the limit beyond which something happens or changes

  • “on the verge of tears”
  • “on the brink of bankruptcy”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English brinke, brenke, from Old Norse *brenka, brekka, from Proto-Germanic *brinkǭ, *brinkaz (“hill, edge (of land)”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰren- (“to project”). Cognate with Dutch brink (“grassland”), regional German Brink, Icelandic brekka (“slope”); also Tocharian B prenke (“island”), Irish braine (“prow”).

Phrases

  • brink pink
  • on the brink
  • on the brink of

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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.