Brimmed

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /bɹɪmd/

Definitions

1. Having an edge or raised rim around the top, like a hat with a wide band extending outward
2. Describing an object with a distinct border circling its uppermost part, often for decoration or function
3. Characterized by a rim that encircles the top edge, providing shape or protection

Etymology: The verb "brim" is a fine example of a word whose two senses come from different ancient roots. The noun meant the edge of water: the bank of a lake or river, or the shore of the sea. Its Old English ancestor "brim" meant "sea" or "surf," and it traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to roar," the sound of breaking waves. The "brim" on a hat or a cup came later, as a figurative extension of that edge idea. The verb "to brim," meaning to fill up to the edge, grew out of the noun, so "brimmed" describes something that has been given an edge. It is only loosely connected to a different verb, Middle English "brimmen," which described pigs in heat, and that word may have come from an Old English word meaning "to rage" or from an adjective meaning "fierce" or "glorious." The two streams have merged in modern usage, so the word now carries both the wave's edge and the sense of rage nearly lost from view.

Synonyms: bordered, edged, fringed