Where does “breakup” come from?

Breakup derives from English break and up, where break comes from Middle English breken, from Proto-Germanic bʰreg-, meaning to break or shatter, and up from Proto-Germanic upp, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upó and bʰer-.

breakup (English): The act of breaking up; disintegration or...

Definitions

  1. The act of breaking up; disintegration or...

Ancestry of “breakup”, step by step

breakup 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 up

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishupAway from the surface of the Earth or other...
2Middle Englishupto a vertical axis
3Old Englishuppup; upstairs
4Proto-West Germanic*upp—

Words derived from “breakup”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →