Bravo
Pronunciation
- GenAm IPA: /ˈbɹɑvoʊ/, /bɹɑˈvoʊ/
- RP IPA: /ˈbɹɑËvəʊ/, /bɹɑËˈvəʊ/
- Rhymes: -É‘Ëvəʊ, Rhymes: -əʊ
Origin
From Italian bravo.
Full definition of bravo
Noun
- A hired soldier; an assassin; a desperado.
- 1753, Theophilus Cibber, The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Chapter , As for Rochester, he had not genius enough to enter the lists with Dryden, so he fell upon another method of revenge; and meanly hired bravoes to assault him.
- 1911, H. Rider Haggard, Red Eve Chapter , "Why should I fight the King of England's bravoes?" inquired Acour in a languid voice of those who stood about him, a question at which they laughed.
- 1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin 2010, page 104:Because the headache will always be there, a weapon that never wears out and is as deadly as the bravo’s rapier or Lucrezia's poison vial.
- A shout of "bravo!"
- 1907, Kate Dickinson Sweetser, Boys and girls from Thackeray Chapter , There was a roar of bravoes rang through the house; Pen bellowing with the loudest.
- The letter B in the ICAO spelling alphabet.
Interjection
Usage notes
Sometimes the (non-anglicized) Italian female form brava is used for a woman, and the Italian plural forms brave (feminine) and bravi (masculine or mixed).
Related terms
Verb
- To cheer or applaud, especially by saying bravo!
- 1910, May Agnes Fleming, The Baronet's Bride Chapter , "And my Sunbeam was bravoed, and encored, and crowned with flowers, was she not?"
- 1899, Richard Le Gallienne, Young Lives Chapter , Together they had bravoed the great tragedians, and together hopelessly worshipped the beautiful faces, enskied and sainted, of famous actresses.