English word origin

Etymology of brill

Possibly from Cornish brilli (“mackerel”), from brithelli, plural of brithel (“mackerel”), from brith (“spotted”), from Proto-Brythonic *briθ.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A type of flatfish, Scophthalmus rhombus.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Possibly from Cornish brilli (“mackerel”), from brithelli, plural of brithel (“mackerel”), from brith (“spotted”), from Proto-Brythonic *briθ.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionbrillikw
Derivation mention*briθcel-bry-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (fish)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kw",
        "3": "brilli",
        "4": "",
        "5": "mackerel"
      },
      "expansion": "Cornish brilli (“mackerel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-bry-pro",
        "3": "*briθ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Brythonic *briθ"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "brilli",
      "brilli#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "brithelli",
      "brithelli#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "brithel",
      "brithel#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "brith",
      "brith#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "*briθ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Brythonic/briθ"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type of flatfish, Scophthalmus rhombus."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "96d770e421ae39062622d49f21d22343ed2db27c8e376b45b49c136414796b94",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dd980a4c45880e64c66c19b50c162eda01c1e69a6d959c6e85f3401e6be61c6e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 320475
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for brill →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YnJpbGw