Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “breien” come from?

breien (Middle English) comes from Old French breier, from Frankish brekan, from Proto-Germanic brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- — to shine, shimmer.

breien (Middle English): to break into small pieces, to chop, crush,...

Definitions

  1. to break into small pieces, to chop, crush,...

Ancestry of “breien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchbreier—
2Frankishbrekanto break
3Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →