Where does “broken” come from?
Broken comes from Old English brūcan, from Proto-Germanic brūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰruHg-, ultimately from the root bʰer- meaning to carry or bear.
broken (English): past participle of break; Fragmented, in separate...
Definitions
- past participle of break; Fragmented, in separate...
Ancestry of “broken”, step by step
broken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English break
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | break | To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture... |
| 2 | Middle English | breken | to break |
| 3 | Old English | brecan | to break; to break into a place |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | brekan | to break |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brekaną | to break |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |
via Middle English broken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | broken | to use, enjoy, digest |
| 2 | Old English | brūcan | to use, enjoy; to enjoy, brook, use, possess,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | brūkan | to use, to employ; to consume |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | brūkaną | to make use of, employ, use, consume |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰruHg- | to make use of; have enjoyment of |