Where does “breakaway” come from?

Breakaway is a compound of break and away, with break deriving from Old English brecan, from Proto-West Germanic brekan, Proto-Germanic brekaną, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰreg-, meaning to break or shatter.

breakaway (English): Having broken away from a larger unit; Capable of...

Definitions

  1. Having broken away from a larger unit; Capable of...

Ancestry of “breakaway”, step by step

breakaway traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English break

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbreakTo separate into two or more pieces, to fracture...
2Middle Englishbrekento break
3Old Englishbrecanto break; to break into a place
4Proto-West Germanicbrekanto break
5Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

via English away

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishawayFrom a place, hence; Aside; off; in another...
2Middle EnglishawayOut, away , off; Sideways, to a side
3Proto-Indo-Europeanaweg—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →