Where does “break” come from?

break (French) 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.

break (French): break; estate car, station wagon

Definitions

  1. break; estate car, station wagon

Ancestry of “break”, 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 “break”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →