Where does “bream” come from?
Bream comes from Middle English breme, from Old French braisme, from Frankish brahsima, from Proto-Germanic bramjaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrem-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.
bream (English): A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the...
Definitions
- A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the...
Ancestry of “bream”, step by step
bream traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English breme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | breme | stormy, tempestuous, fierce |
| 2 | Old English | brēme | famous, glorious, noble |
| 3 | Finnish | bromi | bromine |
| 4 | French | bromé | past participle of bromer; brominated |
| 5 | New Latin | Bromus | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βρόμος | oat; wild oat, slender oat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrem- | to make noise |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |