Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “bersten” come from?

bersten (German) comes from Middle High German bresten, from Old High German brestan, from Proto-West Germanic *brestan, from Proto-Germanic brestaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰres‑ — to burst; break; crack; crackle.

bersten (German): to burst

Definitions

  1. to burst

Ancestry of “bersten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanbresten—
2Old High Germanbrestanto burst
3Proto-West Germanic*brestan—
4Proto-Germanicbrestanąto burst, break, sunder, split, crack
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰres‑to burst; break; crack; crackle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰres‑ →