Gently touched something lightly or cleaned something with a brush; also means to ignore or dismiss something.
From Old French 'brosse,' the word originally referred to the tool made of bristles. The verb 'brush' evolved in the 13th century to mean both the physical action of using a brush and the figurative action of moving something aside.
The phrase 'brushed off' is interesting because it literally comes from brushing dust away—when you ignore someone, you're treating them like something insignificant enough to just sweep aside! It shows how physical actions become metaphors for emotions.
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