Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: bræs

brass

 noun
     
brass
1

metal

[uncountable]HCE a very hard bright yellow metal that is a mixture of copper and zinc:
an old brass bedstead
2

music

APM
a) [uncountable] musical instruments that are made of metal, such as the trumpet and the trombone:
brass instruments
 ➔ percussion, stringed instrument, wind instrument, woodwind
b)

the brass (section)

the people in an orchestra or band who play musical instruments that are made of metal
3

decorations

[countable usually plural] an object made of brass, usually with a design cut into it, or several brass objects
4

get down to brass tacks

informal to start talking about the most important facts or details of something
5

people with top jobs

the brass

American English informal people who hold the most important positions [= top brass British English]
6

it's brass monkeys/brass monkey weather

British English spoken informal used to say that it is very cold
7

money

[uncountable] British English old-fashioned informal money

➔ as bold as brass

at bold (2)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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