Brim
/brɪm/noun
The upper edge or rim of a container, or the projecting edge of a hat.
Did you know?“Brim” is tied to an old Germanic word for an edge or margin, and its cousin-history shows up across languages in words for borders and boundaries — the places ancient people treated as powerful thresholds.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bher-
“to cut, carve, or make a notch; possibly to mark an edge”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brimmō
“edge, border, rim”
Old English
OE
brim
“sea, surf, or the edge of water”
Middle English
ME
brim
“edge, border, margin”
Modern English
English
brim
“the upper edge of a container or the projecting edge of a hat”