brute
UK: bruːt | US: bruːt
n. 1. A savagely violent person or animal.
adj. 2. Lacking reason or intelligence; purely physical or instinctive.
adj. 3. Harsh, uncompromising, or unrefined (e.g., "brute force").
The word traces back to Latin brutus, which described physical weight or mental dullness. It gained its modern sense of "savage" through Old French (brut), where it was used to label irrational creatures. The silent -e reflects French influence. Notably, the Roman cognomen Brutus (e.g., Julius Caesar's assassin) ironically juxtaposed this meaning with political cunning.
The brute attacked without warning.
She relied on brute strength to open the jar.
The algorithm uses brute force to solve the problem.
His brute manners offended the guests.
The movie villain was a mindless brute.