Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brick” come from?

Brick comes from Middle Dutch bricke, of unknown origin.

brick (English): A hardened rectangular block of mud, clay etc.,...

Definitions

  1. A hardened rectangular block of mud, clay etc.,...

Ancestry of “brick”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbrik—
2Middle Low Germanbricke—
3Proto-West Germanicbrekanto break
4Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

Words derived from “brick”

  • bricks
  • brickwork
  • bricklayer
  • redbrick
  • brickyard
  • bricklaying
  • firebrick
  • mudbrick
  • brickmaking
  • brickworks
  • brickbat
  • brickmaker
  • brickdust
  • brickfield
  • bricky
  • brickish
  • bricklike
  • brickie
  • brickkiln
  • goldbrick
  • Bricktown
  • brickmold
  • brickshaped
  • goldbricker
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →