Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The leathery flavor and smell imparted by fermentation by Brettanomyces yeasts, considered a fault in wine but appreciated in certain styles of beers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A surname meaning "Breton, an inhabitant of Brittany".
  • proper noun A male given name transferred from the surname.
  • proper noun informal Brettanomyces, a yeast genus that can affect the taste of wine.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for New Latin Brettanomycēs, yeast genus name : Late Greek Brettania, one of the British Isles; akin to Latin Britannia, Brittannia, Britain, the British Isles (from the presence of the yeast in certain styles of British beers ) + Greek mukēs, fungus.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Brett.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.