Where does “abreast” come from?
Abreast comes from Middle English abrest, though the ultimate origin and earliest meaning remain uncertain.
abreast (English): Side by side and facing forward; Alongside;...
Definitions
- Side by side and facing forward; Alongside;...
Ancestry of “abreast”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | abrest | side by side |
| 2 | Middle English | A | — |
| 3 | Middle English | I | I (first-person singular subject pronoun) |
| 4 | Old English | iċ | I |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | ik | I |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *ek | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |