Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BRICK, n. [Fr. brique, a brick, and a little loaf; Ir. brice, or brike; Arm. brigen; supposed to be a contraction of L. imbrex, a gutter-tile, from imber, a shower, which is probably a compound, of which the last syllable is from βρεχω, whence It. imbriacarsi, to get drunk. See Ebriety.]

1. A mass of earth, chiefly clay, first moistened and made fine by grinding or treading, then formed into a long square in a mold, dried and baked or burnt in a kiln; used in buildings and walls.
2. A loaf shaped like a brick.