Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brooding” come from?

Brooding derives from Middle English brood, Old English brād, Proto-Germanic brōduz, and Proto-Indo-European bʰreh₁-, a root associated with warmth and incubation.

brooding (English): Broody; incubating eggs by sitting on them;...

Definitions

  1. Broody; incubating eggs by sitting on them;...

Ancestry of “brooding”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbroodThe young of certain animals, especially a group...
2Middle Englishbroodbroad
3Old Englishbrādbroad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide,...
4Proto-West Germanicbraidbroad, wide
5Proto-Germanicbraidazbroad, wide

Words derived from “brooding”

  • broodingly
  • mouthbrooding
  • broodingest
  • unbrooding
Every word from Proto-Germanic braidaz →