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
- Filled to maximum capacity; The maximum amount a...
Ancestry of “brimful”, step by step
brimful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English brim
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brim | The sea; ocean; water; flood; An edge or border;... |
| 2 | Middle English | brimmen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | brem | — |
| 4 | Old English | brēme | famous, glorious, noble |
| 5 | Finnish | bromi | bromine |
| 6 | French | bromé | past participle of bromer; brominated |
| 7 | New Latin | Bromus | — |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βρόμος | oat; wild oat, slender oat |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrem- | to make noise |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |