In a very intelligent, skillful, or impressive way; shining brightly with light or showing exceptional talent.
From French 'brillant' meaning 'shining,' derived from Latin 'beryllus' (the gem beryl). The '-ly' suffix makes it an adverb. The word originally referred to the sparkle of precious gems before being applied to intellectual brightness.
The word 'brilliant' comes from 'beryl,' a gemstone! Medieval people noticed that gems and bright minds both 'sparkled'—so they used the same word for both physical and intellectual brightness. It's a poetic example of how metaphors become embedded in language.
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