Forms: 4 britul, -il, (bretil, brethil), 5 brityll, brittyll, (bretylle), bryttyl, 5–6 brytell, bryttel, 6 bri-, bryttell, britle, brittil, brytel, bryttle, 6–7 brittel, 6– brittle. [ME. britul, britil, bretil:—OE. *brytel:—OTeut. *brutilo-, f. brut- pa. pple. stem of *breutan, OE. bréotan to break, See also BROTEL, BRUTEL, and cf. BRICKLE.]
1. Liable to break, easily broken; fragile, breakable; friable (obs.).
1382. Wyclif, Lev. vi. 22. The bretil vessel forsothe in the which it [the flesh] is sothun.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVI. xxxvi. (1495), 564. Bras that is fusile and molte is bryttel vnder the hamour.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 398/1. With betle browes & his britle spectacles of pride and malice.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 33. Some are fragile or brittle … as Bones.
1669. Worlidge, Syst. Agric., IV. § 1 (1681), 35. A brittle soil … Is best for Corn.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 159. The ice being brittle, cracks and snaps.
† b. Liable to destruction, perishable, mortal.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 258. Þei traveilen … to take britul crowne here, but men traveilen in Goddis cause to take a crown þat never may faile.
1509. Fisher, Wks., I. 176. These brytell bodyes of ours.
1622. Fletcher, Sea Voy., II. ii. No goddess, friend, But made of that same brittle mould as you are.
1777. Sir W. Jones, Seven Fount., 55. How dim the rays that gild the brittle earth.
† 2. fig. That breaks faith; inconstant, fickle.
1521. St. Papers Hen. VIII., I. 73. Such brittle people as they [the Irish] bee, in whome is moche crafte, and litle or noo faithe.
1538. Bale, Thre Lawes, 175. Hys bryttle nature, hys slyppernesse to waye.
1622. T. Scott, Belg. Pismire, 15. Never did Age so abound with such brittle spirits as this.
3. fig. Frail, weak; insecure, unstable, transitory.
c. 1555. Harpsfield, Divorce Hen. VIII. (1878), 202. Easy for the King to overthrow this brittle and frail clergy.
1559. Mirr. Mag., Hen. VI., xviii. 4. To shew by patarne of a prince, how brittle honour is.
1657. W. Fenner, 2nd Pt. Christ’s Alarm, 25. Consider how brittle your hearts are.
1692. Dryden, Eleonora, xiv. 6. A second Eve … As beauteous, not as brittle as the first.
1799. Sheridan, Pizarro, III. iii. The brittle tribute of his praise.
1817. Jas. Mill, Brit. India, I. III. iv. 615. The brittle materials of an Indian army.
2. Comb.: brittle silver ore, the mineral Stephanite; brittle-star, a name applied to several species of star-fish of the genus Ophiocoma; brittle-worts, Lindley’s name for the Diatomaceæ.
1843. Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, II. 49. O. neglecta, Grey Brittle Star.
1862. G. Kearley, Links in Chain, vi. 119. The Brittle stars are extremely abundant around most parts of our coast.
1861. H. Macmillan, Footnotes Page Nat., 170. The diatoms or brittle-worts … form a wonderful microcosm.
