Where does “daybreak” come from?

Daybreak combines English day with break, where day derives from Middle English day, Old English dæġ, Proto-West Germanic dag, Proto-Germanic dagaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

daybreak (English): Dawn

Definitions

  1. Dawn

Ancestry of “daybreak”, step by step

daybreak traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English break

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

via English Day

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDayderived from a medieval diminutive of David
2Middle Englishdayday; daylight, sunlight; epoch, age, period
3Old Englishdæġday, daytime
4Proto-West Germanicdagday
5Proto-Germanicdagazday; name of the D-rune
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic brekaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic brekan →