bray

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• /bɹeɪ/
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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: breɪ
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• General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /bɹeɪ/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -eɪ
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• homophone: brae
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• CMU ARPABET: B R EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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The town in Ireland is from Irish Bré, of uncertain origin.

The verb is derived from Middle English brayen, brai, bray, braye (“of a person or animal: to vocalize loudly; of the weather: to make a loud sound, howl, roar”), from Old French brai, braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to cry or shout out”) (modern French braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”)), possibly from Vulgar Latin *bragiō, from Gaulish *bragu (compare Breton breugiñ (“to bray”), brammañ (“to flatulate”), Cornish bramma, brabma (“to flatulate”), Old Irish braigid (“to flatulate”)), from Proto-Celtic *brageti, *bragyeti (“to flatulate”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhreHg- (“to flatulate; to stink”); cognate with Latin fragrō (“to smell”). Alternatively, the word could be from a Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), and cognate with frangere (“to break, shatter”). The noun is derived from the verb, or from Middle English brai, brait (“shriek; outcry”), from Old French brai, brait (“a cry”), from braire (“of an animal: to bray; of a person: to shout; to cry, weep”); see above.

From Middle English brayen (“to break or crush into pieces”), from Anglo-Norman breier, Old French breie, breier, broiier (modern French broyer (“to crush, grind”)), possibly from Frankish *brekan (“to break”), from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhreg- (“to break”); thus making the English word a doublet of break.

86 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Irish: Bré — town in County Wicklow
• Arabic: نَهْقَة (nahqa) — cry of an ass or donkey
• Azerbaijani: anqırtı — cry of an ass or donkey
• Bulgarian: магарешки рев (magareški rev) — cry of an ass or donkey
• Catalan: bram — cry of an ass or donkey
• Czech: hýkání — cry of an ass or donkey
• Czech: zahýkání — cry of an ass or donkey
• Dutch: gebalk — cry of an ass or donkey
• French: braiment — cry of an ass or donkey
• German: Eselsschrei — cry of an ass or donkey
• Hebrew: נְעִירָה (ne'irá) — cry of an ass or donkey
• Icelandic: rymur — cry of an ass or donkey
• Ido: bramo — cry of an ass or donkey
• Indonesian: ringkikan — cry of an ass or donkey
• Irish: béic — cry of an ass or donkey
• Irish: grág — cry of an ass or donkey
• Italian: raglio — cry of an ass or donkey
• Central Kurdish: زەڕین (zerrîn) — cry of an ass or donkey
• Māori: ngehengehe — cry of an ass or donkey
• Portuguese: ornejo — cry of an ass or donkey
• Portuguese: zurro — cry of an ass or donkey
• Russian: рёв осла (rjov osla) — cry of an ass or donkey
• Serbo-Croatian: njak — cry of an ass or donkey
• Serbo-Croatian: revanje — cry of an ass or donkey
• Spanish: rebuzno — cry of an ass or donkey
• Turkish: anırma — cry of an ass or donkey
• Ukrainian: рев осла (rev osla) — cry of an ass or donkey
• Welsh: bref — cry of an ass or donkey
• Welsh: brefiad — cry of an ass or donkey
• Welsh: nâd — cry of an ass or donkey
• Welsh: gweryriad — cry of an ass or donkey
• French: blatérer — cry of a camel
• German: röhren — cry of a camel
• Turkish: bozlama — cry of a camel
• Arabic: نَهَقَ (nahaqa) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Azerbaijani: anqırmaq — to make the cry of a donkey
• Basque: arrantza egin — to make the cry of a donkey
• Bulgarian: рева като магаре (reva kato magare) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Catalan: bramar — to make the cry of a donkey
• Ngazidja Comorian: ulila — to make the cry of a donkey
• Czech: hýkat — to make the cry of a donkey
• Dutch: balken — to make the cry of a donkey
• Finnish: kiljua — to make the cry of a donkey
• Finnish: hirnua — to make the cry of a donkey
• French: braire (âne) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Galician: ornear — to make the cry of a donkey
• German: iahen — to make the cry of a donkey
• German: kreischen — to make the cry of a donkey
• German: schreien — to make the cry of a donkey
• Greek: γκαρίζω (gkarízo) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Ancient Greek: βρωμάομαι (brōmáomai) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Hebrew: נער (na'ár) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Icelandic: rymja — to make the cry of a donkey
• Ido: bramar — to make the cry of a donkey
• Indonesian: meringkik — to make the cry of a donkey
• Italian: ragliare — to make the cry of a donkey
• Latin: oncō — to make the cry of a donkey
• Latin: rudō — to make the cry of a donkey
• Māori: ngehengehe — to make the cry of a donkey
• Norman: braithe — to make the cry of a donkey
• Portuguese: ornejar — to make the cry of a donkey
• Portuguese: zurrar — to make the cry of a donkey
• Russian: реве́ть — to make the cry of a donkey
• Serbo-Croatian: njakati — to make the cry of a donkey
• Serbo-Croatian: revati — to make the cry of a donkey
• Slovak: híkať — to make the cry of a donkey
• Spanish: rebuznar — to make the cry of a donkey
• Spanish: roznar — to make the cry of a donkey
• Spanish: ornear — to make the cry of a donkey
• Swedish: skria — to make the cry of a donkey
• Turkish: anırmak — to make the cry of a donkey
• Urdu: ڈَھین٘چُوں (ḍha͠icū̃) — to make the cry of a donkey
• Welsh: brefu — to make the cry of a donkey
• Welsh: nadu — to make the cry of a donkey
• Arabic: رَغَى (raḡā) — to make the cry of a camel
• Arabic: هَدَر (hadar) — to make the cry of a camel
• French: blatèrement — to make the cry of a camel
• Turkish: bozlamak — to make the cry of a camel
• German: kreischen wie ein Esel — to make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray
• German: schreien wie ein Esel — to make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray
• Bulgarian: крещя (kreštja) — to make or utter (a shout, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner
• German: kreischen — to make or utter (a shout, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner
• Bulgarian: счуквам (sčukvam) — to crush or pound — see also crush, pound
• German: verreiben — to crush or pound — see also crush, pound
• German: zermalmen — to crush or pound — see also crush, pound
• German: zerreiben — to crush or pound — see also crush, pound