Where does “shelfbreak” come from?

shelfbreak (English) comes from English break, from Middle English breken, from Old English brecan, from Proto-West Germanic brekan, from Proto-Germanic brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- — to shine, shimmer.

shelfbreak (English): An area of increasing slope that marks the edge...

Definitions

  1. An area of increasing slope that marks the edge...

Ancestry of “shelfbreak”, step by step

shelfbreak 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 shelf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshelfA flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to...
2Middle EnglishschelfeA shelf or ledge; A cupboard; a piece of...
3Old Englishsċylfedeck of a ship
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →
shelfbreak — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer