Brink

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Origin

From Middle English brinke, from Proto-Germanic *brinkaz (compare Dutch brink ("grassland"), dialectal German Brunkel, Icelandic brekka ("slope")), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰren- ‘project’ (compare Tocharian B prenke ("island"), Irish braine ("prow")).

Full definition of brink

Noun

1. The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also used figuratively.

Derived terms

• on the brink