Where does “breed” come from?

breed (Middle English) comes from Old English brēad, from Proto-West Germanic braud, from English Berwald, from Proto-West Germanic berō, from Proto-Germanic berô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- — to pierce; to strike; brown.

Ancestry of “breed”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Old English	brēad	crumb, bread; bread, food; fragment, bit, morsel,...
2	Proto-West Germanic	braud	—
3	English	Berwald	—
4	Proto-West Germanic	berō	bear
5	Proto-Germanic	berô	bear
6	Proto-Indo-European	bʰerH-	to pierce; to strike; brown

Words derived from “breed”

bread
breadwinner
breadcrumbs
breadfruit
shortbread
breadbasket
breadcrumb
sweetbread
breadwinning
flatbread
breadboard
breadmaking
shewbread
breadstuff
breadline
breadbox
showbread
breadstick
crispbread
bready
frybread
breadmaker
breadlike
breadnut

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- →

breed — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer