Where does “bread” come from?
I need to point out a problem with this task: the chain provided traces "braid" (to interlace strands), but the headword is "bread" (the food). These are different words with different etymologies.
If I'm meant to write about **bread**, I cannot use the chain provided, as it documents braid, not bread.
If I'm meant to ignore the headword instruction and write about **braid** instead, here's the sentence:
Braid comes from Old English breġdan, from Proto-Germanic braudą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēḱ-, meaning to break or crack apart.
Could you clarify which word should be the headword, or provide the correct etymological chain for bread?
bread (English): A foodstuff made by baking dough made from...
Definitions
- A foodstuff made by baking dough made from...
Ancestry of “bread”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bred | bread, pastry; food, nourishment |
| 2 | Old English | bred | surface; plank, board; table, tablet |
| 3 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
Words derived from “bread”