Etymology Explorer › Middle Low German

Where does “brake” come from?

brake (Middle Low German) comes from Proto-Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- — to shine, shimmer.

brake (Middle Low German): stump, branch; nose ring, curb, flax brake

Definitions

  1. stump, branch; nose ring, curb, flax brake

Ancestry of “brake”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*brekan—
2Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →