Meaning & use
brainchild
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Meaning
nouncountable
An original idea, plan or invention that comes from one person or a small group.
Grammar: Often followed by of: the brainchild of a local teacher.
Patterns
- the brainchild of someone
- someone's brainchild
The community garden was the brainchild of a retired nurse.
Her brainchild, a tool for sharing recipes, now has a million users.
The festival is the brainchild of two students who missed their old town's parade.
Word forms
| plural | brainchildren |
|---|
Common combinations
- the brainchild of
- The app was the brainchild of three friends.
- her brainchild
- The school was her brainchild from the start.
- a personal brainchild
- The project was a personal brainchild of the director.
- an original brainchild
- It was an original brainchild, with no precedent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- invention
- It stresses the thing made, while brainchild focuses on whose idea it was.
- creation
- It is a broader word and does not necessarily mean the idea was a person's own.
- concept
- It is the abstract idea only, whereas brainchild suggests the person's pride in it.
- pet project
- It suggests a favorite activity that someone cares about, not necessarily one that is original.
Word family
- brain noun
- the organ used for thinking
- child noun
- a young person, or here, a metaphor for something produced
- brainstorm verb
- to produce ideas in a group
Commonly confused: brainchild or brainstorm?
brainchild vs brainstorm
A brainstorm is a session of producing ideas; a brainchild is one finished idea that someone came up with.
Practice
The city's bike-share program was the ___ of a university professor.
Choose one answer.
Brainchild is the idea or project a person originated. A brainwave is a sudden idea, not a lasting scheme, so it would not take 'the ... of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “brainchild”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.