Forms: 4– brunt, 4–6 bronte, 5–6 bront, brunte, 6 brount. [First in 14th c. Origin unknown; generally sought in ON. bruna ‘to advance with the speed of fire’; though such a formation from that is difficult to explain etymologically, and connecting links are wanting. The word may rather be an onomatopœia of Eng. itself: cf. DUNT, and various br- words implying sharp or smart application of force. It is possible however that some association with burnt (in Sc. brunt), as if the ‘chief brunt’ were ‘the hottest’ of the fight, has influenced sense 4.]
† 1. A sharp blow. Obs.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 174. Bot baysment gef myn hert a brunt.
1400. Sowdone Bab., 3166. He smote the bisshope withe a bronde And gaf him an evel bronte.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XX. xxi. (Globe), 472/2. Sir Gawaine gave him many sad brunts and many sad strokes.
† b. At a brunt: at one blow, at once, suddenly. Obs. (Cf. Fr. tout à coup, tout d’un coup.)
c. 1400. Alexander (Stev.), 134. All þat was bitten of the best, was at a brunt dede.
a. 1555. Ridley, Wks., 53. Traditions … at one brunt are revived.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 69. Here Osorius … uttereth all his skill at a brunt.
1609. Bible (Douay), 2 Kings xxiii. 8. Which killed eight hundred at one brunt.
† 2. An assault, charge, onset, violent attack. (Often after bear, abide, sustain, etc.) Obs.
a. of fighting men, physical agents.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, III. xxiv. The pore souldiours Which bare the bronte euer of such shoures, And the mischiefe of werre comonly.
1531. Elyot, Gov. (1834), 201. [He] there alone sustained the whole brunt of his enemies.
1570. Levins, Manip., 189. A Brunt, impetus.
c. 1590. Marlowe, Faust., I. 93. 121. Stranger engines for the brunt of war.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 491. Sustaining the charge and brunt of K. Porsenaes army.
1648. Gage, West Ind., x. (1655), 32. At the third brunt, they made those lusty souldiers flie.
b. of sickness, temptation, temptation, persecution, etc. Obs. or arch.
1542. Boorde, Dyetary, viii. (1870), 245. Strength maye suffre a brount.
1563. Homilies, II. xvi. II. (1859), 461. So many and great brunts of affliction and persecution.
a. 1617. Bayne, On Ephes. (1658), 127. A brunt of unbelief doth not evacuate our faith.
1693. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen., 533. He endures sore brunts, magnos impetus sustinet.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., I. 210. Wishing to despise … Brunts of fate and scorns of men.
† c. At the first brunt: at the first charge or onset; fig. at starting, at first. Obs.
1447. Bokenham, Seyntys, cxlviii. Though some of his men be overthrown at the first brunt.
c. 1532. Ld. Berners, Huon (1883), 395. At the fyrste brounte the Almaynes were constrayned to recule abacke.
1549. Coverdale, Erasm. Par. 1 Cor. i. 23. A doctrine, that at the fyrste brunte seemeth base and folyshe.
1693. Mem. Ct. Teckely, I. 44. They put them into disorder at the first brunt.
3. Shock, violence or force (of an attack).
(This more abstract sense was at first only vaguely evolved from the preceding, which it has now superseded. Phrases like brunt of war, of battle, etc., connect 2 and 3.)
a. of war, or of any material force.
1579. Fenton, Guicciard., II. (1599), 84. All the brunt and swaigh of that daies fight.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, III. 42. Athens … endured the hardest and worst brunt of Darius invasion.
1667. Boyle, Orig. Formes & Qual., 40. Neither will it [Brasse] like Gold resist the utmost brunt of the Fire.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, II. iv. 282. Utterly averse To stand the Brunt of another Engagement.
1809. Wellington, Lett., in Gurw., Disp., IV. 324. Bearing the first brunt of the enemy’s attack.
1862. Marsh, Eng. Lang., ii. 29. It was on the Cymry that the chief brunt of the contest fell.
b. of an immaterial force.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (1884), 15. I must needes abide the brunt of his displeasure.
1662. Fuller, Worthies (1840), II. 447. When such prisoners … have weathered out the brunt of that disease.
1774. Burke, Amer. Tax., Wks. 1842, I. 175. I had rather bear the brunt of all his wit.
1827. Hallam, Const. Hist. (1876), I. iv. 198. Grindal … bore the whole brunt of the queen’s displeasure.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), IV. 88. To avoid the brunt of their argument.
4. The chief stress or violence; crisis. (Formerly expressed by chief brunt, greatest brunt.)
[1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, I. i. 4. The first three, fiue, or seuen rankes … do beare the chiefe brunt.
1665. Manley, Grotius’ Low-C. Warrs, 144. It had inabled him to bear the greatest brunt of Humane Affairs.]
1769. Robertson, Chas. V., III. XI. 309. The wing of the French which stood the brunt of the combat.
1815. Moore, Lalla R. (1824), 93. Now comes the brunt, the crisis of the day.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev. (1872), I. VII. ix. 239. The brunt of the danger seems past.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 241. But the English had borne the brunt of the fight.
1868. E. Edwards, Ralegh, I. vii. 110. The brunt of the defence fell on ships, not on soldiers.
† 5. A sudden effort, strain, or outburst; a ‘fit,’ ‘spurt.’ (Cf. 1 b.) Obs.
c. 1450. Merlin, xviii. 282. Thei spored theire horse ouer the brigge at a brunt.
1551. Robinson, trans. More’s Utop. (Arb.), 76. [Oxen] they graunte to be not so good as horses at a sodeyne brunte, and (as we saye) at a deade lifte.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus ii. 12. It is but for a brunt of newfanglednesse.
a. 1626. Bp. Andrewes, Serm., xix. (1661), 389. His vigour is not brunts only, or starts, impetus.
1670. R. Rhodes, Flora’s Vagaries, 58. It will be but one Brunt o’ th’ Old mans anger.
6. Comb., as brunt-bearing adj.
1654. Chapman, Alphonsus, Plays, 1873, III. 243. Saxon lans-knights and brunt-bearing Switzers.
¶ Error for brute, BRUIT.
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), IV. 52. Herd ye not the Exclamation And the grete brunte … Crucyfy hym!
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. clxxxviii. 222. The brunt went yt he was chiefe heed of the prouostes treason.
