Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brimful” come from?

Brimful comes from English breme, Old English brim meaning edge or border, and Frankish brahsima, all deriving from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

brimful (English): Filled to maximum capacity; The maximum amount a...

Definitions

  1. Filled to maximum capacity; The maximum amount a...

Ancestry of “brimful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbrimThe sea; ocean; water; flood; An edge or border;...
2Middle Englishbrimmen—
3Middle Englishbrem—
4Old Englishbrēmefamous, glorious, noble
5Finnishbromibromine
6Frenchbromépast participle of bromer; brominated
7New LatinBromus—
8Ancient Greekβρόμοςoat; wild oat, slender oat
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrem-to make noise
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

Words derived from “brimful”

  • brimfulness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →