Obsolete or dialectal British English term meaning fine, good, excellent, or admirable; well-fashioned or well-made.
From Middle English 'brab,' possibly from Old Norse 'bravr' (brave, strong) or related to Dutch 'brabe.' The word fell out of common use by the Early Modern period.
The word 'brab' shows how adjectives for 'good' constantly shift in English—from Middle English 'brab' to Early Modern 'brave' to Victorian 'capital' to 1920s 'swell' to modern 'awesome'—as if every generation needs to invent its own way of praising things.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.