1
- an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating centre of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity脑。
1.1
brains
the substance of such an organ, typically that of animal, used as food（尤指供食用的动物）脑髓, 脑浆。
1.2
- informal an electronic device with functions comparable to those of the human brain〈非正式〉电脑。
- The human brain consists of three main parts. (i) The forebrain, greatly developed into the cerebrum, consists of two hemispheres joined by a bridge of nerve fibres, and is responsible for the exercise of thought and control of speech. (ii) The midbrain, the upper part of the tapering brainstem, contains cells concerned eye movements. (iii) The hindbrain, the lower part of the brainstem, contains cells responsible for breathing and for regulating heart action, the flow of digestive juices, and other unconscious actions and processes. The cerebellum, which lies behind the brain stem, plays an important role of the execution of highly skilled movements.
2
- intellectual capacity智力, 智慧：
I didn't have enough brains for the sciences
我可没有足够的智力去搞科学
mass noun success requires brain as well as brawn.成功要有足够的智力和体力。
2.1
the brains
informal a clever person who supplies the ideas and plans for a group of people〈非正式〉智囊, 谋划者：Tom was the brains of the outfit.
汤姆是这帮人的军师。
2.2
- a person's mind头脑：
a tiny alarm bell began to ring in her brain.
她脑子里有个小小的警钟开始敲响。
with obj.
- informal hit (someone) hard on the head with an object〈非正式〉用…敲打某人的脑袋：
she brained me with a rolling pin.
她用擀面杖敲打我的脑袋。
短语
beat someone's brains out
- think about something very hard and for a long time绞尽脑汁。
have (got) something on the brain
- informal be obsessed with something〈非正式〉萦绕于脑际, 念念不忘：
John has cars on the brain.
约翰心里老是惦记着汽车。
词源
Old English brægen, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch brein.