Where does “breadth” come from?
Breadth comes from Middle English breedthe, from Middle English brede, from Old English breġdan, from Proto-Germanic braidį̄ and brēgdaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēḱ-.
breadth (English): The extent or measure of how broad or wide...
Definitions
- The extent or measure of how broad or wide...
Ancestry of “breadth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bredthe | breadth |
| 2 | Middle English | brede | Alternative form of breiden; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | bred | surface; plank, board; table, tablet |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |