brittle. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

brittle

SYLLABICATION:	brit·tle
PRONUNCIATION:	brtl
ADJECTIVE:	Inflected forms: brit·tler, brit·tlest 1a. Likely to break, snap, or crack, as when subjected to pressure: brittle bones. b. Easily damaged or disrupted; fragile: a brittle friendship. See synonyms at fragile. 2a. Difficult to deal with; snappish: a brittle disposition. b. Lacking warmth of feeling; cold: a reputation for being brittle and aloof. 3. Brilliantly sharp, as in percussive sound. 4a. Perishable. b. Fleeting; transitory.
NOUN:	A confection of caramelized sugar to which nuts are added: walnut brittle.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English britel, probably from Old English ^*brytel, from bryttian, to shatter.
OTHER FORMS:	brittle·ly (brtl-) —ADVERB brittle·ness —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.