brute

• POS: Adjective, Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

brute, a. [F. brut, nasc., brute, fem., raw, rough, rude, brutish, L. brutus stupid, irrational: cf. It. & Sp. bruto.].

•  Not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without intelligence or volition; as, the brute earth; the brute powers of nature.  [1913 Webster]
•  Not possessing reason, irrational; unthinking; as, a brute beast; the brute creation.  [1913 Webster]

  "A creature . . . not prone
  And brute as other creatures, but endued
  With sanctity of reason."  [1913 Webster]
•  Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, a brute beast. Hence: Brutal; cruel; fierce; ferocious; savage; pitiless; as, brute violence.  Macaulay.  [1913 Webster]

  "The influence of capital and mere brute labor."  [1913 Webster]
•  Having the physical powers predominating over the mental; coarse; unpolished; unintelligent.  [1913 Webster]

  "A great brute farmer from Liddesdale."  [1913 Webster]
•  Rough; uncivilized; unfeeling.  [1913 Webster]

brute force, The application of predominantly physical effort to achieve a goal that could be accomplished with less effort if more carefully considered. Figuratively, repetitive or strenuous application of an obvious or simple tactic, as contrasted with a more clever stratagem achieving the same goal with less effort; -- as, the first prime numbers were discovered by the brute force repetition of the Sieve of Eratosthenes.

brute, n. 

•  An animal destitute of human reason; any animal not human; esp. a quadruped; a beast.  [1913 Webster]

  "Brutes may be considered as either aërial, terrestrial, aquatic, or amphibious."  [1913 Webster]
•  A brutal person; a savage in heart or manners; as unfeeling or coarse person.  [1913 Webster]

  "An ill-natured brute of a husband."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- See Beast.

brute, v. t. [For bruit.].

 To report; to bruit.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

brute, n. & adj.
--n.
1 a a brutal or violent person or animal. b colloq. an unpleasant person.
2 an animal as opposed to a human being.
--adj.
1 not possessing the capacity to reason.
2 a animal-like, cruel. b stupid, sensual.
3 unthinking, merely material (brute force; brute matter).

Derivative

brutehood n. brutish adj. brutishly adv. brutishness n.

Etymology

F f. L brutus stupid

DEVIL DICTIONARY

brute

n. See HUSBAND.

THESAURUS

brute

Adamic, Circean, Draconian, Goth, Mafioso, Neanderthal, Tartarean, Young Turk, animal, animalian, animalic, animalistic, anthropophagite, anthropophagous, atrocious, barbarian, barbaric, barbarous, beast, beastlike, beastly, beldam, berserk, berserker, bestial, blind, bloodthirsty, bloody, bloody-minded, bodily, bomber, brutal, brutalized, brutelike, brutish, cannibal, cannibalistic, carnal, carnal-minded, coarse, creature, creeping thing, critter, cruel, cruel-hearted, demon, demoniac, demoniacal, destroyer, devil, devilish, diabolic, dragon, dull, dumb, dumb animal, dumb friend, earthy, fallen, fell, feral, ferine, ferocious, fiend, fiendish, fiendlike, fierce, fire-eater, firebrand, fleshly, fury, goon, gorilla, gross, gunsel, hardnose, hell-raiser, hellcat, hellhound, hellion, hellish, holy terror, hood, hoodlum, hothead, hotspur, hyena, incendiary, infernal, inhuman, inhumane, insensate, instinctive, instinctual, irrational, killer, lapsed, living being, living thing, mad dog, madcap, man-eater, material, materialistic, mindless, monster, mugger, murderous, nihilist, nonrational, nonspiritual, orgiastic, physical, postlapsarian, rapist, revolutionary, ruthless, sadistic, sanguinary, sanguineous, satanic, savage, senseless, shark, sharkish, she-wolf, slavering, spitfire, subhuman, swinish, termagant, terror, terrorist, thoughtless, tiger, tigress, tough, tough guy, troglodyte, truculent, ugly customer, unchristian, uncivilized, unconscious, unfeeling, unhuman, unintelligent, unreasoning, unspiritual, unthinking, vandal, varmint, vicious, violent, virago, vixen, wild beast, wild man, witch, wolf, wolfish, wrecker, zoic, zooidal, zoologic

ROGET THESAURUS

brute

Discourtesy

N discourtesy, ill breeding, ill manners, bad manners, ungainly manners, insuavity, uncourteousness rusticity, inurbanity, illiberality, incivility displacency, disrespect, procacity, impudence: barbarism, barbarity, misbehavior, brutality, blackguardism, conduct unbecoming a gentleman, grossieret_e, brusquerie, vulgarity, churlishness, spinosity, perversity, moroseness, sternness, austerity, moodishness, captiousness, cynicism, tartness, acrimony, acerbity, virulence, asperity, scowl, black looks, frown, short answer, rebuff, hard words, contumely, unparliamentary language, personality, bear, bruin, brute, blackguard, beast, unlicked cub, frump, crosspatch, saucebox, crooked stick, grizzly, discourteous, uncourteous, uncourtly, ill-bred, ill-mannered, ill-behaved, ill-conditioned, unbred, unmannerly, unmannered, impolite, unpolite, unpolished, uncivilized, ungenteel, ungentleman-like, ungentlemanly, unladylike, blackguard, vulgar, dedecorous, foul- mouthed foul-spoken, abusive, uncivil, ungracious, unceremonious, cool, pert, forward, obtrusive, impudent, rude, saucy, precocious, repulsive, uncomplaisant, unaccommodating, unneighborly, ungallant, inaffable, ungentle, ungainly, rough, rugged, bluff, blunt, gruff, churlish, boorish, bearish, brutal, brusque, stern, harsh, austere, cavalier, taint, sour, crabbed, sharp, short, trenchant, sarcastic, biting, doggish, caustic, virulent, bitter, acrimonious, venomous, contumelious, snarling, surly, surly as a bear, perverse, grim, sullen, peevish, untactful, impolitic, undiplomatic, artless, discourteously, with discourtesy, with a bad grace.

Evil doer

N evil doer, evil worker, wrongdoer, mischief-maker, marplot, oppressor, tyrant, destroyer, Vandal, iconoclast, firebrand, incendiary, fire bug, pyromaniac, anarchist, communist, terrorist, savage, brute, ruffian, barbarian, semibarbarian, caitiff, desperado, Apache, hoodlum, hood, plug-ugly, Red Skin, tough, Mohawk, Mo-hock, Mo-hawk, bludgeon man, bully, rough, hooligan, larrikin, dangerous classes, ugly customer, thief, cockatrice, scorpion, hornet, snake, viper, adder, snake in the grass, serpent, cobra, asp, rattlesnake, anaconda, canker-worm, wire-worm, locust, Colorado beetle, alacran, alligator, caymon, crocodile, mosquito, mugger, octopus, torpedo, bane, cutthroat, cannibal, anthropophagus, anthropophagist, bloodsucker, vampire, ogre, ghoul, gorilla, vulture, gyrfalcon, gerfalcon, wild beast, tiger, hyena, butcher, hangman, blood-hound, hell- hound, sleuth-hound, catamount, cougar, jaguar, puma, hag, hellhag, beldam, Jezebel, monster, fiend, devil incarnate, demon in human shape, Frankenstein's monster, harpy, siren, Furies, Eumenides, Hun, Attila, scourge of the human race, faenum habet in cornu.

Animal

N animal, animal kingdom, fauna, brute creation, beast, brute, creature, critter, wight, created being, creeping thing, living thing, dumb animal, dumb creature, zoophyte, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, crustacean, shellfish, mollusk, worm, insect, arthropod, microbe, microbe, animalcule, alligator, crocodile, saurian, dinosaur (extinct), snake, serpent, viper, eft, asp, aspick, frog, toad, trout, bass, tuna, muskelunge, sailfish, sardine, mackerel, ant, mosquito, bee, honeybee, tardigrade, spider, biped, quadruped, webfoot, flocks and herds, live stock, domestic animals, wild animals, game, ferae naturae, beasts of the field, fowls of the air, denizens of the sea, black game, black grouse, blackcock, duck, grouse, plover, rail, snipe, horse, cattle, kine, ox, bull, bullock, cow, milch cow, calf, heifer, shorthorn, sheep, lamb, lambkin, ewe, ram, tup, pig, swine, boar, hog, sow, steer, stot, tag, teg, bison, buffalo, yak, zebu, dog, cat, dog, hound, pup, puppy, whelp, cur, mongrel, house dog, watch dog, sheep dog, shepherd's dog, sporting dog, fancy dog, lap dog, toy dog, bull dog, badger dog, mastiff, blood hound, grey hound, stag hound, deer hound, fox hound, otter hound, harrier, beagle, spaniel, pointer, setter, retriever, Newfoundland, water dog, water spaniel, pug, poodle, turnspit, terrier, fox terrier, Skye terrier, Dandie Dinmont, collie, feline, puss, pussy, grimalkin, gib cat, tom cat, fox, Reynard, vixen, stag, deer, hart, buck, doe, roe, caribou, coyote, elk, moose, musk ox, sambar, bird, poultry, fowl, cock, hen, chicken, chanticleer, partlet, rooster, dunghill cock, barn door fowl, feathered tribes, feathered songster, singing bird, dicky bird, canary, warbler, finch, aberdevine, cushat, cygnet, ringdove, siskin, swan, wood pigeon, vermin, varmint, pest, animal, zoological equine, bovine, vaccine, canine, feline, fishy, piscatory, piscatorial, molluscous, vermicular, gallinaceous, rasorial, solidungulate, soliped.