Brist
/brɪst/noun
An obsolete or dialectal word meaning a bristle or stiff hair.
Did you know?Brist is an obsolete variant related to bristle, whose older Germanic root described something stiff, pointed, or standing erect—not an occult term, but vividly physical.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰers-
“To stand out, project, or be pointed; the reconstructed root associated with bristle-like forms.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bursti-
“A bristle or stiff hair.”
Old English
Old English
byrst
“A bristle; a stiff hair.”
Middle English
Middle English
brist
“A bristle, with vowel variation from earlier Germanic forms.”
Modern English
English
brist
“An obsolete or dialectal form meaning bristle.”