Where does “break” come from?
Break descends from Middle English breken, Old English brecan, Proto-West Germanic brekan, Proto-Germanic brekaną, and Proto-Indo-European bʰreg-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.
break (English): To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture...
Definitions
- To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture...
Ancestry of “break”, step by step
break traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English breken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | breken | to break |
| 2 | Old English | brecan | to break; to break into a place |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | brekan | to break |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | brekaną | to break |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |
via English breakdown
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | breakdown | A failure, particularly mechanical; something... |
| 2 | English | break down | To fail, to cease to function; To render or to... |