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.

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

   Who's the brains behind this operation?

   • 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)

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

(informal) intelligence, aptitude

• French: cervelle (fr) f
• Hungarian: ész (hu), gógyi (hu)
• Spanish: seso (es), sesera, mollera, entendederas (es)

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

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