Where does “burst” come from?

Burst comes from Middle English bersten, from Old English berstan, from Proto-Germanic brestaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰres-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreHi-.

burst (English): To break from internal pressure; To cause to...

Definitions

  1. To break from internal pressure; To cause to...

Ancestry of “burst”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbrestenTo burst break from internal pressure
2Old Englishberstanto break, shatter, burst
3Proto-Germanic*brestan—
4Proto-Germanicbrestanąto burst, break, sunder, split, crack
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰres‑to burst; break; crack; crackle

Words derived from “burst”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰres‑ →