Where does “brilliant” come from?
Brilliant comes from French brillant, derived from French briller, from Italian brillare, from Latin beryllus, from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος, from Sanskrit वैडूर्य and Pali veḷuriya, words for a precious stone whose luster gave rise to the sense of shining brightly.
brilliant (English): Shining brightly; Both bright and saturated;...
Definitions
- Shining brightly; Both bright and saturated;...
Ancestry of “brilliant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | brillant | shining; shiny; present participle of briller |
| 2 | French | briller | to shine, to sparkle |
| 3 | Italian | brillare | to shine, to glisten, to sparkle or twinkle; to... |
| 4 | Latin | bēryllus | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βήρυλλος | beryl |
| 6 | Prakrit | विरलायते | — |
| 7 | Sanskrit | वैडूर्य | cat's eye; a jewel; anything excellent of its... |
| 8 | Pali | veḷuriya | lapis lazuli, a precious stone |
| 9 | Pali | veḷur | white town |
Words derived from “brilliant”