Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brazen-faced” come from?

brazen-faced (English) comes from English brazen, from Middle English brasen, from Old English brasian, from Old English bræs, from Proto-Germanic brasnaz, from Proto-Germanic brasō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰres‑ — to burst; break; crack; crackle.

brazen-faced (English): Impudent; open and without shame

Definitions

  1. Impudent; open and without shame

Ancestry of “brazen-faced”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbrazenPertaining to, made of, or resembling brass;...
2Middle EnglishbrasenFormed from bronze, brass, or copper
3Old Englishbrasian—
4Old Englishbræsore; brass or bronze
5Proto-Germanicbrasnazbrazen
6Proto-Germanicbrasōgleed, crackling coal; fire, pyre
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰres‑to burst; break; crack; crackle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰres‑ →