Other forms: brimming, brims, brimmed
A brim is the projecting edge of a hat, or the top rim of a cup. A wide brim, the brim of the hat, filled to the brim.
On a hat the brim is what keeps sun and rain off the face, and its width is most of what distinguishes one hat from another. On a container, filled to the brim means completely full. As a verb, to brim is to be so full that it is about to spill — eyes brimming with tears, brimming with confidence. Note brimful; and brimming over.
1nounbrimThe projecting edge of a hat, or the top rim of a cup.
“He pulled the brim of his hat down to keep the sun out of his eyes.”
2verbfullTo be so full it is about to spill.
“Her eyes brimmed with tears as she said goodbye.”
brim is an edge.
The old word is the edge of a lake or the shore of a sea. The brim of a hat is its edge, and a cup filled to the brim is filled to its edge.
hooks ontoedge
Middle English brymme meant the edge of a lake or the shore of a sea, of unclear origin. The hat and the cup both took the sense of an edge.
Proto-Indo-European
*bʰren-
Middle English
brymme
English, today
brim
Built from
The noun is derived from Middle English brymme, brimme (“bank or edge of a lake or river; shore of a sea; brink; rim”); of unclear origin; compare Middle High German brem (“margin”). The verb is derived from the noun. 2
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA