brightness

English

Alternative forms

• brightnesse (obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Indo-European *bʰer(H)ǵ-tó-s

Proto-Germanic *berhtaz

Proto-West Germanic *berht

Old English beorht

Proto-Germanic *-in-

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti

Proto-Germanic *-ōną

Proto-Germanic *-inōną

Proto-Indo-European *-dyé-der.

Proto-Germanic *-atjaną

Proto-Indo-European *-tus

Proto-Germanic *-þuz

Proto-Germanic *-assuz

Proto-Germanic *-inassuz

Proto-West Germanic *-nassī

Old English -nes

Old English beorhtnes

Middle English brightnesse

English brightness

From Middle English bryghtnes, brightnesse, from Old English beorhtnes (“brightness, splendor”), from Proto-West Germanic *berhtnassī, equivalent to bright +‎ -ness. Cognate with Old High German berahtnessī, berahtnessi (“brightness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹaɪtnəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtnəs
• Hyphenation: bright‧ness

Noun

brightness (usually uncountable, plural brightnesses)

1. The quality of being bright.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.

2. The perceived luminance of an object.
3. (idiomatic, figurative) Intelligence, cleverness.
   • 2023 March 21, “Vicki Wright-Hamilton: Having a Proven Track Record of Impacting Lives and Elevating Organisations”, in Chief Navigators‎^[1], archived from the original on 29 September 2026:

     We have a brightness that demonstrates both our utility and our limitations. One learns from the experiences of others and then adds to them, accumulating knowledge. The chain is still going strong.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:intelligence

Derived terms

• apparent brightness
• intrinsic brightness
• low-surface-brightness galaxy

Translations

the quality of being bright

• Albanian: ndriçim (sq)
• Arabic: سُطُوع m (suṭūʕ)
• Armenian: պայծառություն (hy) (paycaṙutʻyun)
• Bengali: রৌশনী (bn) (rōuśoni)
• Bulgarian: блясък (bg) m (bljasăk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 明亮 (zh) (míngliàng)

• Czech: jas (cs) m inan, jasnost f, třpyt m
• Dutch: glans (nl) m, helderheid (nl) f
• Egyptian: (ḥḏḏwt f), (wbḫt f)
• Esperanto: heldenso, helodenso
• Finnish: hohto (fi), kirkkaus (fi), loisto (fi), välke (fi)
• French: brillance (fr)
• Galician: brillantez (gl) f
• German: Funkeln (de) n, Glanz (de) m (reflected from a surface, hair, skin), Helligkeit (de) f, Strahlen (de) n
• Gilbertese: bubu, iti, raneanea
• Greek: φωτεινότητα (el) f (foteinótita)

  Ancient Greek: γάνος n (gános), λαμπρότης f (lamprótēs)

• Hebrew: בהירות f (behirut)
• Hindi: चमक (hi) (camak)
• Hungarian: fényesség (hu)
• Irish: gile (ga) f, gléine f, lonracht f, spéiriúlacht f
• Japanese: 明るさ (ja) (あかるさ, akarusa)
• Latin: candor m
• Middle English: brightnesse, brighthede
• Norwegian: glans m, klarhet (no) c, lyshet c, lysstyrke m
• Persian: درخشندگی (fa) (deraxšandegi)
• Polish: jasność (pl) f
• Portuguese: brilho (pt), claridade (pt) f, clareza (pt) f (figurative)
• Quechua: phaqsa
• Romanian: splendoare (ro) f, strălucire (ro) f
• Russian: блеск (ru) m (blesk) (brilliance, glitter), я́ркость (ru) f (járkostʹ), вспы́шка (ru) f (vspýška) (flash)
• Spanish: brillo (es) m
• Swedish: ljusstyrka (sv)
• Tagalog: liwanag (tl)
• Tausug: sinag
• Telugu: వెలుగు (te) (velugu)
• Thai: ความสว่าง (th) (kwaam-sà-wàang)
• Turkish: parlaklık (tr)
• Ukrainian: яскра́вість (uk) f (jaskrávistʹ)
• Urdu: چمک (camak)
• Welsh: lleu m

perception elicited by the luminance of an object

• Abkhaz: ашеишеира (aŝejŝejra)
• Armenian: պայծառություն (hy) (paycaṙutʻyun), լուսեղություն (hy) (luseġutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: я́ркост (bg) f (járkost)
• French: luminosité (fr) f
• German: Helligkeit (de) f
• Greek: λάμψη (el) f (lámpsi)
• Irish: gile (ga) f, gléine f
• Latvian: spilgtums m, spožums m
• Russian: я́ркость (ru) f (járkostʹ)
• Tagalog: liwanag (tl)
• Welsh: lleu m

intelligence, cleverness

• Armenian: լուսավոր (hy) (lusavor)
• Finnish: älykkyys (fi)
• French: intelligence (fr)
• German: Aufgewecktheit f
• Greek: εξυπνάδα (el) f (exypnáda)
• Hebrew: תבונה (he), אינטלגנציה
• Russian: смышлёность f (smyšljónostʹ), ум (ru) m (um)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} helo