Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “bresten” come from?

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

Ancestry of “bresten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishberstanto break, shatter, burst
2Proto-Germanic*brestan—
3Proto-Germanicbrestanąto burst, break, sunder, split, crack
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰres‑to burst; break; crack; crackle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰres‑ →