brio (n.)

"liveliness, vivacity," 1734, from Italian brio "mettle, fire, life," perhaps a shortened derivative of Latin ebrius "drunk." Or via Provençal briu "vigor," from Celtic *brig-o- "strength," from PIE root *gwere- (1) "heavy." Probably it entered English via the musical instruction con brio.

updated on October 13, 2017