that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
"The surgeon carefully removed the tumor from his brain without damaging the delicate tissue connecting it to the spinal cord."
mental ability
"he's got plenty of brains but no common sense"
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
"Mozart was a child genius"
"he's smart but he's no Einstein"
the brain of certain animals used as meat
"The chef ordered a large cut of lamb brain to add a rich, creamy texture to the soup."
The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull which is responsible for perception, cognition, attention, memory, emotion, and action.
"The doctor explained that a traumatic injury to his brain could permanently affect his ability to form new memories or recognize familiar faces."
In plain English: The brain is the soft organ inside your skull that controls all your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
"She took out her brain from her pocket to study for the test."
Usage: Use "brain" to refer to the physical organ inside the skull that controls thought and sensation, or metaphorically to describe a person who is intelligent or shows mental agility. Avoid using it as a verb unless you are speaking informally about thinking hard on a problem.
hit on the head
"He slipped on the wet floor and gave himself a nasty bump on his brain when he hit his head against the corner of the table."
kill by smashing someone's skull
"The attacker tried to end the fight quickly by trying to smash his brain out with a heavy rock."
To dash out the brains of; to kill by smashing the skull.
"The intruder managed to brain his attacker before fleeing down the alleyway."
In plain English: To brain someone means to hit their head so hard that it causes serious injury.
"He tried to brain the rock with his heavy hammer."
Usage: Do not use "brain" as a verb in modern English to mean killing someone or damaging an object, as this usage is archaic and violent. Instead, reserve the term for its standard noun meaning referring to the human organ responsible for thought.
A surname.
"The Brain is coming to our house tonight for dinner."
The word "brain" comes from the Old English bræġn and traveled into Middle English as brayn before becoming the modern term. Its ultimate roots lie in Proto-Indo-European words for "skull" and "marrow," reflecting its original association with the head's interior rather than just the organ itself.