Where does “broken” come from?

broken (Middle English) comes from Old English brūcan, from Proto-West Germanic brūkan, from Proto-Germanic brūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰruHg- — to make use of; have enjoyment of.

broken (Middle English): to use, enjoy, digest

Definitions

  1. to use, enjoy, digest

Ancestry of “broken”, step by step

broken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English brūcan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbrūcanto use, enjoy; to enjoy, brook, use, possess,...
2Proto-West Germanicbrūkanto use, to employ; to consume
3Proto-Germanicbrūkanąto make use of, employ, use, consume
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰruHg-to make use of; have enjoyment of

via Old English brocen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbrocenpast participle of brecan; broken
2Proto-Germanicbrukanaz—
3Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

Words derived from “broken”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰruHg- →