brains

See also: Brains

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɹeɪnz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪnz

Noun

brains

1. plural of brain

Noun

brains pl (plural only)

1. The substance of a brain, as a material or foodstuff.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     I would, while it was smiling in my face,
     Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
     And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
     Have done to this.

2. (informal) The figurative substance of a brain: mental ability, intelligence.

   Sadly, I got my brains from my mom and my looks from the mailman.

   • 1986, Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic, published 2022, page 161:

     It was true that he had the muscles of an ox and the stamina of an ox, the trouble was that he seemed to have the brains of an ox.

3. (informal, with "the") The intelligent person or people in a group: the director, planner, administrator, etc.

   Who's the brains behind this operation?

   • 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 103:

     Paulvitch smiled. “You are supposed to be the brains of this partnership, my dear Nikolas,” he replied. “Why do you not find the means to search Monsieur Caldwell’s stateroom—eh?”

   • 1990, House of Cards, season 1, episode 1:

     I mean, it's a bit of a waste of money paying me eighteen grand to run errands, isn't it? Come on. I'm supposed to be the brains of this outfit.

Derived terms

• blow someone's brains out
• fuck someone's brains out
• hump someone's brains out

Translations

as food

• Arabic:

  North Levantine Arabic: نخاعات m pl (nxāʕāt)

• Bulgarian: мозък (bg) m (mozăk)
• Esperanto: cerbaĵo
• French: cervelle (fr) f
• Hungarian: agyvelő (hu), velő (hu)
• Polish: móżdżek (pl) m
• Russian: мозги́ (ru) m pl (mozgí)

(informal) intelligence, aptitude

• Bulgarian: акъл (bg) m (akăl) (colloquial)
• French: cervelle (fr) f
• Hungarian: ész (hu), gógyi (hu)
• Spanish: seso (es), sesera (es), mollera (es), entendederas (es)

(informal, with “the”) the intelligent person or people in a group: the director, planner, administrator, etc.

• Bulgarian: ум (bg) m (um)
• Hungarian: ész (hu), agy (hu), észlény (hu), nagyágyú (hu), koponya (hu), értelmi szerző, agytröszt (hu)
• Italian: testa pensante m

See also

• (intelligent person; director, planner, administrator): mastermind

Verb

brains

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of brain

Anagrams

• risban, Rabins, abrins, bairns, brians