Where does “breast drill” come from?

breast drill (English) comes from English drill, from Middle Dutch drillen, from Old Dutch thrillen, from Proto-Germanic þriljaną, from Proto-Indo-European ter-, from Italian termine, from Latin terminus, from Proto-Italic termenos — boundary, end.

breast drill (English): A hand-cranked drill that is braced against the breast (chest) and whose axial feed can be provided by pushing or leaning therefrom

Definitions

  1. A hand-cranked drill that is braced against the breast (chest) and whose axial feed can be provided by pushing or leaning therefrom

Ancestry of “breast drill”, step by step

breast drill traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English drill

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdrillTo create by removing material with a drill; To...
2Middle Dutchdrillenbore, move in a circle
3Old Dutchthrillen
4Proto-Germanicþriljaną
5Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
6Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
7Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
8Proto-Italictermenos
9Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end

via English breast

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbreastEither of the two organs on the front of a female...
2Middle Englishbrestchest, thorax; The breast in several contexts;...
3Old Englishbrēostchest
4Proto-West Germanicbreustbreast, chest
5Proto-Germanicbreustąbreast, chest
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrews-to break
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥Every word from Proto-Italic termenosEvery word from Proto-Indo-European ter-