Where does “breakthrough” come from?
Breakthrough is a compound of English break and through, with break deriving from Middle English breken and Old English brecan from Proto-Germanic brekaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreg-, while through comes from Old English þuruh, also tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots.
breakthrough (English): Characterized by major progress or overcoming...
Definitions
- Characterized by major progress or overcoming...
Ancestry of “breakthrough”, step by step
breakthrough traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English break
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | break | To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture... |
| 2 | Middle English | breken | to break |
| 3 | Old English | brecan | to break; to break into a place |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | brekan | to break |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brekaną | to break |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |
via English through
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | through | From one side of an opening to the other;... |
| 2 | Middle English | thrugh | — |
| 3 | Old English | þurh | API; through; by means of: by, through, via |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þurhw | through |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tr̥h₂kʷe | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₂- | to cross over, pass through, overcome |