Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. past participle of break; Fragmented, in separate...

Ancestry of “broken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbreakTo separate into two or more pieces, to fracture...
2Middle Englishbrekento break
3Old Englishbrecanto break; to break into a place
4Proto-West Germanicbrekanto break
5Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

Words derived from “broken”

  • heartbroken
  • brokenly
  • brokenness
  • brokenhearted
  • housebroken
  • heartbrokenly
  • bork
  • brokenheartedly
  • brokenheartedness
  • borked
  • heartbrokenness
  • borking
  • brokenhanded
  • unhousebroken
  • nonbroken
  • borky
  • broken reed
  • borken
  • broken-handed
  • broken-heartedness
  • buroka
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →