bromide

bromide
\ \ [19] Potassium bromide is used as a sedative, and it was that which inspired the American humorist Gelett Burgess’s book Are You A Bromide? (1906), in which he metaphoricized bromide as a ‘dull conventional person’. In British English it is the more abstract figurative sense ‘trite or conventional remark’ that has caught on. Bromide was based on bromine [19], the name of a liquid element, which in turn was formed from French brome.
\ \ The element was so christened, from Greek brōmosstench’, because of its highly irritant and unpleasant smell.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Bromide — Bromide, Verbindungen des Broms mit andern Grundstoffen oder (meist organischen) Radikalen. Von denselben sind besonders die Metallbromide, Salze der Bromwasserstoffsäure und einige organische Bromide bemerkenswert (s. Brom). Viele derselben sind …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • bromide — [brō′mīd΄] n. [ BROM(O) + IDE] 1. a compound in which bromine is combined with a certain element, radical, etc., as silver bromide or methyl bromide 2. potassium bromide, KBr, used in medicine as a sedative ☆ 3. [from association with dullness of …   English World dictionary

  • Bromide — Bro mide, n. 1. (Chem.) A compound of bromine with a positive radical. [1913 Webster] 2. A person who is conventional and commonplace in his habits of thought and conversation. [Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.] The bromide conforms to everything… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bromide — Bromide, OK U.S. town in Oklahoma Population (2000): 163 Housing Units (2000): 80 Land area (2000): 0.669281 sq. miles (1.733430 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.669281 sq. miles (1.733430 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Bromide, OK — U.S. town in Oklahoma Population (2000): 163 Housing Units (2000): 80 Land area (2000): 0.669281 sq. miles (1.733430 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.669281 sq. miles (1.733430 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • bromide — compound of bromine and another metal or radical, 1836, from BROMINE (Cf. bromine), the pungent, poisonous element, + IDE (Cf. ide). Used as a sedative; figurative sense of dull, conventional person or trite saying popularized by U.S. humorist… …   Etymology dictionary

  • bromide — ► NOUN 1) Chemistry a compound of bromine with another element or group. 2) dated a sedative preparation containing potassium bromide. 3) a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, especially one intended to placate: I was too hard headed to accept… …   English terms dictionary

  • Bromide — Bromide, s. Brommetalle …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bromide — Bromīde, s. Brom …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • bromide — ● bromide nom féminin Lésion cutanée due à une intoxication chronique par des médicaments à base de brome ou de ses dérivés, du type bromure …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Bromide — Bromide,   Singular Bromid das, (e)s, Bromverbindungen.   …   Universal-Lexikon

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