name
Brian
BREYE-uhn
name
1
A male given name of Irish origin, one of the most common English first names for men.
"Brian called ahead to book the table for six."
verb
1
(rare, dialectal) To keep a fire lit at the mouth of an oven or kiln, to preserve heat.
"The baker would brian the oven overnight so it stayed warm by morning."
How to Use Brian
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishOverwhelmingly known today as a common first name; the verb sense is archaic and essentially unused in modern English.
Word Forms
brianed past tense, brians singular
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_____ called ahead to book the table for six.
Etymology
Borrowed from the Irish name Brian, of uncertain deeper origin, possibly related to a word for "high" or "noble."