brink

[ bringk ]
/ brɪŋk /

noun

the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.
any extreme edge; verge.
a crucial or critical point, especially of a situation or state beyond which success or catastrophe occurs: We were on the brink of war.

Origin of brink

1250–1300; Middle English brink < Old Norse (Danish) brink, cognate with MLG brink edge, hillside, Old Norse brekka slope, hill

OTHER WORDS FROM brink

brink·less, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for brink

British Dictionary definitions for brink

brink
/ (brɪŋk) /

noun

the edge, border, or verge of a steep place the brink of the precipice
the highest point; top the sun fell below the brink of the hill
the land at the edge of a body of water
the verge of an event or state the brink of disaster

Word Origin for brink

C13: from Middle Dutch brinc, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse brekka slope, Middle Low German brink edge of a field