Where does “breast” come from?

Breast comes from Middle English brest, from Old Norse brestr, from Proto-Germanic brestuz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥stís, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰers-, meaning to burst or break.

breast (English): Either of the two organs on the front of a female...

Definitions

  1. Either of the two organs on the front of a female...

Ancestry of “breast”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbrestchest, thorax; The breast in several contexts;...
2Old Englishbrēostchest
3Proto-West Germanicbreustbreast, chest
4Proto-Germanicbreustąbreast, chest
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrews-to break

Words derived from “breast”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrews- →