Main Entry:

brusque

Variant(s):

also brusk \ˈbrəsk\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

French brusque, from Italian brusco, from Medieval Latin bruscus butcher's-broom (plant with bristly twigs)

Date:

1651

1 : markedly short and abrupt 2 : blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness

synonyms see bluff

— brusque·ly adverb

— brusque·ness noun