Etymology dictionary

breadwinner (n.) — brier (n.2)

breadwinner (n.)

also bread-winner, "one who supplies a living for himself and others," especially a family, 1821, from the noun bread (probably in a literal sense) + winner, from win (v.) in its sense of "struggle for, work at." Attested slightly earlier (1818) in the sense of "skill or art by which one makes a living." Not too far removed from the image at the root of lord (n.).

break (v.)

Old English brecan "to divide solid matter violently into parts or fragments; to injure, violate (a promise, etc.), destroy, curtail; to break into, rush into; to burst forth, spring out; to subdue, tame" (class IV strong verb; past tense bræc, past participle brocen), from Proto-Germanic *brekanan (source also of Old Frisian breka, Dutch breken, Old High German brehhan, German brechen, Gothic brikan), from PIE root *bhreg- "to break."

Closely related to breach (n.), brake (n.1), brick (n.). The old past tense brake is obsolete or archaic; the past participle is broken, but shortened form broke is attested from 14c. and was "exceedingly common" [OED] 17c.-18c.

Of bones in Old English. Formerly also of cloth, paper, etc. The meaning "escape by breaking an enclosure" is from late 14c. The intransitive sense of "be or become separated into fragments or parts under action of some force" is from late 12c. The meaning "lessen, impair" is from late 15c. That of "make a first and partial disclosure" is from early 13c. The sense of "destroy continuity or completeness" in any way is from 1741. Of coins or bills, "to convert to smaller units of currency," by 1882.

In reference to the heart from early 13c. (intransitive); to break (someone's) heart is late 14c. Break bread "share food" (with) is from late 14c. To break ground is from 1670s as "to dig, plow," from 1709 in the figurative sense of "begin to execute a plan." To break the ice "overcome the feeling of restraint in a new acquaintanceship" is from c. 1600, in reference to the "coldness" of encounters of strangers. Break wind is attested from 1550s. To break (something) out (1890s) probably is an image from dock work, of freeing cargo before unloading it.

The ironic theatrical good luck formula break a leg (by 1948, said to be from at least 1920s) has parallels in German Hals- und Beinbruch "break your neck and leg," and Italian in bocca al lupo. Evidence of a highly superstitious craft (see Macbeth). According to Farmer & Henley, in 17c. the expression was used euphemistically, of a woman, "to have a bastard."

break (n.)

c. 1300, "act of breaking, forcible disruption or separation," from break (v.). The sense in break of day "first appearance of light in the morning" is from 1580s; the meaning "sudden, marked transition from one course, place, or state to another" is by 1725.

The sense of "short interval between spells of work" (originally between lessons at school) is from 1861. The meaning "stroke of luck" is attested by 1911, probably an image from billiards (where the break that scatters the ordered balls and starts the game is attested from 1865). The meaning "stroke of mercy" is from 1914. The jazz musical sense of "improvised passage, solo" is from 1920s. The broadcasting sense is by 1941.

breakable (adj.)

"capable of being broken," 1560s, from break (v.) + -able. As a noun, breakables is attested from 1820.

breakage (n.)

1767, "loss or damage done by breaking;" 1813, "action of breaking;" from break (v.) + -age.

breakaway

also break-away, 1906 (n.), in reference to sports; 1930s (adj.) in reference to splinter groups; from the verbal phrase (attested from 1530s in the sense "disengage oneself abruptly, escape"); see break (v.) + away (adv.).

break-dancing (n.)

1982, but the style itself said to have evolved late 1970s in South Bronx. The reference is to the rhythmic break in a pop-dance song (see break (n.)), which the DJs isolated and the dancers performed to. Breakdown "a riotous dance, in the style of the negroes" [OED] is recorded from 1864. Related: Break-dance; break-dancer.

breakdown (n.)

also break-down, 1832, "a collapse, a falling apart," from the verbal phrase (attested by late 14c. in the sense "take down by breaking" (trans.); 1831 in the intransitive sense "come down by breaking; 1856 as "to fail through incapacity, excess emotion, etc."); see break (v.) + down (adv.). The noun, specifically of machinery, is from 1838; meaning "an analysis in detail" is from 1936 (from the verbal phrase in the sense "analyze, classify," 1934). Also in 19c. American English "a noisy, lively dance sometimes accompanied by singing" (1864). Nervous breakdown is from 1866.

breaker (n.)

late 12c., "one who or that which breaks;" 1680s as "heavy ocean wave," agent noun from break (v.). Related: Breakers.

break-even (adj.)

also breakeven; in reference to a balancing of cost and income, usually with point, 1938, from the verbal phrase (1910); see break (v.) + even (adv.). The verbal phrase in the financial sense is recorded from 1914.

breakfast (n.)

"first meal of the day," mid-15c., from the verbal phrase; see break (v.) + fast (n.). For vowel shift, see below. An Old English word for it was undernmete (see undern), also morgenmete "morning meal."

Spanish almuerzo "lunch," but formerly and still locally "breakfast," is from Latin admorsus, past participle of admordere "to bite into," from ad "to" + mordēre "to bite" (see mordant). German Frühstück is from Middle High German vruostücke, literally "early bit."

In common with almuerzo, words for "breakfast" tend over time to shift in meaning toward "lunch;" compare French déjeuner "breakfast," later "lunch" (cognate of Spanish desayuno "breakfast"), from Vulgar Latin *disieiunare "to breakfast," from Latin dis- "apart, in a different direction from" + ieiunare, jejunare "fast" (see jejune; also compare dine). Greek ariston in Homer and Herodotus was a meal at the break of day but in classical times taken in the afternoon.

The long/short vowel contrast in break/breakfast represents a common pattern where words from Old English have a long vowel in their modern form but a short vowel as the first element of a compound: Christ/Christmas, holy/holiday, moon/Monday, sheep/shepherd, wild/wilderness, etc.

breakfast (v.)

1670s, "to eat breakfast;" 1793 as "to supply with breakfast," from breakfast (n.). Related: Breakfasted; breakfasting.

breakneck (adj.)

also break-neck, "extremely hazardous, likely to end in a broken neck," 1560s, from break (v.) + neck (n.).

breakout (n.)

also break-out, "act of issuing or springing out," 1820, from the verbal phrase, "issue forth, arise, spring up;" see break (v.) + out (adv.). The verbal phrase goes back to Old English ut brecan, utabrecan. Transitive sense is attested from 1610s.

breakthrough (n.)

also break-through, "significant or sudden advance," 1918, in a military sense, from the verbal phrase; see break (v.) + through (adv.). The verbal phrase is attested from c. 1400 in the sense "overcome or penetrate a barrier." The meaning "abrupt solution or progress" is from 1930s, on the notion of a successful attack.

breakup (n.)

also break-up, "a disruption, dissolution of connection, separation of a mass into parts," 1795, from verbal expression break up "separate, dissolve" (mid-15c.); see break (v.) + up (adv.). The verbal phrase was used of plowland, later of groups, assemblies, etc.; of things (also of marriages, relationships), from mid-18c. Break it up as a command to stop a fight, etc., is recorded from 1936.

breakwater (n.)

"any structure serving to break the force of waves and protect a harbor or shore," 1721; see break (v.) + water (n.1).

bream (n.)

type of common European freshwater fish, late 14c., breme, from Old French braisme "bream," from Frankish *brahsima, from West Germanic *brahsm- (compare Old High German brahsima), perhaps from Proto-Germanic base *brehwan "to shine, glitter, sparkle," from PIE *bherek- (see braid (v.)). Insipid and little esteemed as food. The name also was given to various similar fish in other places.

breast (v.)

1590s, "to push the breast against," from breast (n.). From 1850 in figurative sense "meet boldly or openly." Related: Breasted; breasting.

breast (n.)

Old English breost "mammary gland of a woman, bosom; the thorax or chest, part of the body between the neck and the belly; mind, thought, disposition," from Proto-Germanic *brust-/*breust- "breast" (source also of Old Saxon briost, Old Frisian briast, Old Norse brjost, Dutch borst, German brust, Gothic brusts), perhaps literally "swelling" and from PIE root *bhreus- "to swell, sprout" (source also of Middle Irish bruasach "having a broad, strong chest," Old Irish bruinne "breast").

The spelling conforms to the Scottish and northern England dialectal pronunciation. The figurative sense of "seat of the emotions and affections, repository of designs and secrets" was in Old English. Breast-plate "armor for the front of the body" is from late 14c. Breast-pump is from 1821.

breastbone (n.)

"sternum," Old English breostban; see breast (n.) + bone (n.).

breast-stroke (n.)

method of swimming, 1867, from breast (n.) + stroke (n.). Related: Breast-stroker.

breastwork (n.)

"fieldwork thrown up breast-high for defense," 1640s, from breast (n.) + work (n.) in "fortification" sense. Old English had breostweall in same sense.

breath (n.)

Old English bræð "odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor" (the Old English word for "air exhaled from the lungs" was æðm), from Proto-Germanic *bræthaz "smell, exhalation" (source also of Old High German bradam, German Brodem "breath, steam"), perhaps [Watkins] from a PIE root *gwhre- "to breathe; smell." The original long vowel (preserved in breathe) has become short.

The meaning "ability to breathe," hence "life" is from c. 1300. The meaning "a single act of breathing" is from late 15c.; the sense of "the duration of a breath, a moment, a short time" is from early 13c. The meaning "a breeze, a movement of free air" is from late 14c.

breathe (v.)

"to draw air into and expel it from the lungs; to inhale and exhale (a scent, etc.)," c. 1200, not in Old English, but it retains the original Old English vowel of its source word, breath. To breathe (one's) last "die" is from 1590s. To breathe down the back of (someone's) neck "be close behind" is by 1946. Related: Breathed; breathing.

breathable (adj.)

"that can be breathed," 1731, from breathe + -able.

breathalyzer (n.)

also breathalyser, 1958, from breath + analyzer; an earlier name for it was drunkometer (1934).

breather (n.)

c. 1600, "a living creature, one who breathes," agent noun from breathe. The meaning "spell of exercise to stimulate breathing" is from 1836; that of "a rest to recover breath" is from 1882.

breathy (adj.)

1520s, "pertaining to breath," from breath + -y (2). Of voices, "full of breath," from 1883. Related: Breathily; breathiness.

breathless (adj.)

late 14c., "unable to breathe," from breath + -less. The meaning "out of breath, panting" is from mid-15c. Also used from 1590s in the sense "dead." The meaning "forgetting to breathe" due to excitement, awe, anticipation, etc. is recorded from 1765. Related: Breathlessly; breathlessness. Breathful was used late 16c.

breath-taking (adj.)

also breathtaking, "thrilling, surprising," 1867, from breath + present participle of take (v.). Phrase take (one's) breath away "leave breathless with astonishment or delight" is from 1864. Breathtaking (n.) "act of taking breaths or a breath" is from 1620s. Related: Breathtakingly.

breccia (n.)

"conglomerate rock of angular pieces," 1774, from Italian breccia, "marble of angular pieces," from a Germanic source akin to Old High German brecha "a breaking," from Proto-Germanic *brekan, from PIE root *bhreg- "to break." The same Germanic root is the source of Spanish brecha, French brèche "a breach."

bred (adj.)

"reared, brought up," 1650s, past-participle adjective from breed (v.).

breeches (n.)

"bifurcated garment worn by men, covering the body and waist to the knees," c. 1200, a double plural (also breechen, and singular breech), from Old English brec "breeches," plural of broc "garment for the legs and trunk," from Proto-Germanic *brokiz (source also of Old Norse brok, Dutch broek, Danish brog, Old High German bruoh, German Bruch, obsolete since 18c. except in Swiss dialect), perhaps from PIE root *bhreg- "to break." The etymological notion would be of a garment "forked" or "split." The singular breech survived into 17c., but the word is now always used in the plural.

The Proto-Germanic word is a parallel form to Celtic *bracca, source (via Gaulish) of Latin braca (source of French braies, Italian braca, Spanish braga). Some propose that the Germanic word group is borrowed from Gallo-Latin, others that the Celtic was from Germanic, but OED writes that the Proto-Germanic noun "has all the markings of an original Teutonic word."

Classical bracae were part of the characteristic garb of Gauls and Orientals; they were not worn by Greeks or Romans until the end of the republic. After 1c. they came into use at first among military forces stationed in cold climates and were adopted generally toward the end of the empire, though they never seem to have been much in favor in Rome proper.

The expanded sense of "lower part of the body, part of the body covered by breeches, posterior" led to senses in childbirthing (1670s) and gunnery ("the part of a firearm behind the bore," 1570s). As the popular word for "trousers" in English, it was displaced in U.S. c. 1840 by pants. The Breeches Bible (Geneva Bible of 1560) is so called on account of rendition of Genesis iii.7 (already in Wycliffe) "They sewed figge leaues together, and made themselues breeches."

breech (n.)

"back part of a gun or firearm," 1570s, from singular of breeches (q.v.) in the sense "lower part of the body," hence "the hinder part of anything" (especially the part of a cannon or firearm behind the barrel). Breech-loader is from 1858.

breech (v.)

late 15c., "put in breeches," from breeches. Meaning "fit a gun with a breech" is from 1757, from breech (n.). Related: Breeched; breeching.

breed (v.)

Old English bredan "bring (young) to birth, procreate," also "cherish, keep warm," from West Germanic *brodjan (source also of Old High German bruoten, German brüten "to brood, hatch"), from *brod- "fetus, hatchling," from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." The etymological notion is incubation, warming to hatch.

The intransitive sense "come into being" is from c. 1200; that of "beget or bear offspring" is from mid-13c. Of livestock, etc., "procure by the mating of parents and rear for use," mid-14c. The sense of "grow up, be reared" (in a clan, etc.) is late 14c.; the meaning "form by education" is from mid-15c. Related: Bred; breeding.

breed (n.)

"race, lineage, stock from the same parentage" (originally of animals), 1550s, from breed (v.). Of persons, from 1590s. The meaning "kind, species" is from 1580s.

breeding (n.)

early 14c., "hatching, incubation; act of generating or producing;" late 14c., "formation, development, growth;" verbal noun from breed (v.). The meaning "manners, deportment in social life" is from 1590s (commonly short for good breeding), from the notion of "upbringing."

breeder (n.)

1530s, "one who raises a particular kind of animal" (especially cattle); 1570s, "one who produces or originates," used especially of females, agent noun from breed (v.). Of nuclear reactors, from 1948. As a scornful homosexual term for "heterosexual person," attested from 1986.

breeze (n.)

1560s, "moderate north or northeast wind," from Old Spanish briza "cold northeast wind;" in West Indies and Spanish Main, the sense shifting to "northeast trade wind," then "brisk, fresh wind from the sea." The English sense of "gentle or light wind" is from 1620s. An alternative possibility is that the English word is from East Frisian brisen "to blow fresh and strong." The slang sense of "something easy" is American English, c. 1928.

breeze (v.)

1680s, "blow gently," from breeze (n.). The meaning "move briskly" is from 1904. Related: Breezed; breezing.

breezeway (n.)

"roofed passage between buildings, open at both sides," 1904, American English, from breeze (n.) + way (n.).

breezy (adj.)

1718, "blowy, windy," from breeze (n.) + -y (2). The figurative sense of "fresh, easygoing, light, airy" is from 1870. Related: Breezily; breeziness.

brekekekex

Greek (Aristophanes) imitation of the croaking of frogs.

Bremen

seaport city in northern Germany, from Old Saxon bremo "edge" (related to English brim (n.)), in reference to its site on a river bank.

Bren

type of machine gun used by the British army in World War II, 1937, short for Bren gun, coined from first letters of Brno, Czechoslovakia, and Enfield, near London. The patent was purchased in Brno, and the gun was manufactured in Enfield.

Brenda

fem. proper name, Scottish (introduced to a wider English audience in Scott's "The Pirate," 1822), from Old Norse brandr, literally "sword" or torch" (see brand (n.)). Little-used as a given name in U.S. before 1925, but a top-30 name for girls born there 1944-1966: The popular "Brenda Starr" newspaper comic strip debuted in 1940.

Brenner Pass

historical route over the Alps between Germany and Italy, from Breuni, name of a people who lived near there, which is perhaps from Celtic.

br'er

also brer, in Br'er Rabbit, etc., 1881, Joel Chandler Harris' representation of U.S. Southern black pronunciation of brother.

Brest

city in France, a Celtic name, from bre "hill." The city in modern Belarus is from Slavic berest "elm." It was part of Lithuania from 1319 and thus was known, for purposes of distinguishing them, as Brest Litovsk until 1921.

brethren (n.)

alternative plural of brother (q.v.); predominant c. 1200-1600s, but surviving only in religious use and not now used in reference to male children of the same parents. The title was adopted by primitive Christians (Acts xviii, etc.) and so was taken by various Protestant sects, such as the Dunkers.

Breton (n.)

"native or language of Brittany," the former province in northwestern France, late 14c., from French form of Briton (q.v.).

breve (n.)

c. 1300, "letter of authority;" see brief (n.); mid-15c. as a medieval musical notation having one-half or one-third the duration of a "long" note (longa), from Latin breve (adj.) "short" in space or time (see brief (adj.)). In modern use it has the value of two whole notes and is the longest notation (though seldom used), which reverses the etymological sense. The grammatical curved line placed over a vowel to indicate "shortness" (1540s) is from the same source.

brevet (n.)

mid-14c., from Old French brievet "letter, note, piece of paper; papal indulgence" (13c.), diminutive of bref "letter, note" (see brief (n.)). The military sense of "a commission to a higher rank without advance in command" (for meritorious service, etc.) is from 1680s.

brevet (v.)

"confer brevet rank upon," 1803, from French breveter, from brevet (see brevet (n.)). Related: Breveted; breveting.

breviary (n.)

1540s, "brief statement;" 1610s, "short prayer book used by Catholic priests;" from Latin breviarium "summary," noun use of neuter of adjective breviarius "abridged," from breviare "to shorten, abbreviate," from brevis "short" (from PIE root *mregh-u- "short").

brevity (n.)

"shortness," especially in speech or writing, c. 1500, from Latin brevitatem (nominative brevitas) "shortness" in space or time, from brevis "short" (from PIE root *mregh-u- "short").

brew (n.)

"a brewed beverage, that which is brewed," c. 1500, from brew (v.).

brew (v.)

"produce (a beverage) by fermentation; prepare by mixing and boiling," Old English breowan (class II strong verb, past tense breaw, past participle browen), from Proto-Germanic *breuwan "to brew" (source also of Old Norse brugga, Old Frisian briuwa, Middle Dutch brouwen, Old High German briuwan, German brauen "to brew"), from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." The etymological sense thus is "make (a drink) by boiling." The intransitive, figurative sense of "be in preparation" (in reference to trouble, etc.) is from c. 1300. Related: Brewed; brewing.

brewer (n.)

"one who brews, craftsman who brews and sells ale or beer," c. 1300 (as a surname from c. 1200), agent noun from brew (v.).

brewery (n.)

1650s (but perhaps from c. 1200 as a surname element); see brew (v.) + -ery. Old English had breawern in this sense (from aern "house;" see barn), and brewhouse was the more common word through 18c.

brewhouse (n.)

also brew-house, "brewery, building in which beer is brewed," late 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), from brew (v.) + house (n.).

brewster (n.)

"one who makes and sells ale, a brewer," early 14c. (early 13c. as a surname), probably originally "a female brewer" (though most of the early surnames on the records are of men), from brew (v.) + -ster. Compare Old French braceresse, Medieval Latin brasiatrix "female brewer," and Clarice le Breweres on the 1312 Colchester Borough Court Rolls.

Brexit (n.)

"withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union," 2012, as a concept, from Britain + exit. It became reality on Jan. 31, 2020.

bris (n.)

Yiddish word for the circumcision ceremony, 1956, from bris milah, Ashkenazi pronunciation of brit milah "covenant of circumcision."

briar (n.)

see brier (n.1).

Briareus

hundred-handed giant in Greek mythology, traditionally from Greek briaros "strong, stout," but Beekes says probably a pre-Greek name. Related: Briarean.

bribe (n.)

late 14c., "thing stolen," from Old French bribe "a gift," properly "bit, piece, hunk; morsel of bread given to beggars" (14c., compare Old French bribeor "vagrant, beggar"), from briber, brimber "to beg," a general Romanic word (compare Spanish briba "vagrancy," Italian birbone "a vagrant"); Gamillscheg marks the French word as Rotwelsch, i.e. thieves' jargon. The whole group is of uncertain origin; old sources suggest it could be Celtic (compare Breton breva, Welsh briwo "to break") and akin to break (v.). Shift of meaning to "gift given to influence corruptly" is by mid-15c.

bribe (v.)

late 14c., "to pilfer, steal, take dishonestly," also "practice extortion," from Old French briber "go begging," from bribe "a gift" (see bribe (n.)). The meaning "gain or corrupt by a bribe" is from 1520s. Related: Bribed; bribing.

bribery (n.)

late 14c., "theft, robbery, swindling, pilfering," from Old French briberie; see bribe (n.) + -ery. The specific sense of "act of magistrates taking money for corrupted services" is from 1540s; the sense of "offering of a bribe" is from 1560s.

bric-a-brac (n.)

deprecative term for objects having a certain interest from being old, pretty, or curious, but no claim to art, 1840, from obsolete French à bric et à brac (16c.) "at random, any old way," a nonsense phrase.

brick (v.)

"to wall up with bricks," 1640s, from brick (n.). Related: Bricked; bricking.

brick (n.)

"rectangular block of artificial stone (usually clay burned in a kiln) used as a building material," early 15c., from Old French briche "brick," which is probably from a Germanic source akin to Middle Dutch bricke "a tile," etymologically "a bit, a fragment, a piece broken off," from the verbal root of break (v.).

Of a brick-shaped loaf by 1735. The meaning "a good, honest fellow" is from 1840, probably on notion of squareness (as in fair and square), though in English brick and square when applied to persons generally are not compliments.

Brick wall in the figurative sense of "impenetrable barrier" is from 1886. Brick-and-mortar (adj.) as figurative of "physically real" is from 1865. To do something like a ton of bricks "vigorously" is from 1929 (earlier thousand of bricks, 1836), probably from the notion of how hard such a weight of them would fall or hit.

brickbat (n.)

mid-16c., piece of brick (half or less) used as a missile, from brick (n.) + bat (n.1) in the sense of "a lump, piece." The figurative use, of comments, insults, etc., is from 1640s.

brickette (n.)

"small brick" of anything, 1924; see briquette.

bricklayer (n.)

also brick-layer, "one who builds with bricks," late 15c., from brick (n.) + layer in the original sense. Related: Bricklaying.

brickwork (n.)

"building work done in brick," 1570s, from brick (n.) + work (n.).

brickyard (n.)

also brick-yard, "open place where bricks are made," 1807, from brick (n.) + yard (n.1).

bricolage (n.)

term used in arts and literature, "work made from available things," by 1966, via Lévi-Strauss, from French bricolage, from bricoler "to fiddle, tinker" and, by extension, "make creative and resourceful use of whatever materials are to hand (regardless of their original purpose)," 16c., from bricole (14c.).

bridal (adj.)

"belonging to a bride or a wedding," c. 1200, transferred use of noun bridal "wedding feast," Old English brydealo "marriage feast," from bryd ealu, literally "bride ale" (see bride + ale); the second element later was confused with suffix -al (1), especially after c. 1600. Compare scot-ale under scot (n.) and Middle English scythe-ale (mid-13c.) "drinking celebration for mowers, as compensation for a particular job." Bridal-suite is by 1857.

bride (n.)

"woman newly married or about to be," Old English bryd "bride, betrothed or newly married woman," from Proto-Germanic *bruthiz "woman being married" (source also of Old Frisian breid, Dutch bruid, Old High German brut, German Braut "bride"), a word of uncertain origin.

Gothic cognate bruþs, however, meant "daughter-in-law," and the form of the word borrowed from Old High German into Medieval Latin (bruta) and Old French (bruy) had only this sense. In ancient Indo-European custom, the married woman went to live with her husband's family, thus the sole "newly wed female" in such a household would have been the daughter-in-law. On the same notion, some trace the word itself to the PIE verbal root *bhreu-, which forms words for cooking and brewing, as this likely was the daughter-in-law's job. An Old Frisian word for "bride" was fletieve, literally "house-gift."

bridegroom (n.)

"man newly married or about to be," Old English brydguma "suitor," from bryd "bride" (see bride) + guma "man," from Proto-Germanic *gumon- (source also of Old Norse gumi, Old High German gomo), literally "earthling, earthly being," as opposed to the gods, from suffixed form of PIE root *dhghem- "earth."

The ending was altered 16c. by folk etymology after groom (n.) "groom, boy, lad" (q.v.). A common Germanic compound (compare Old Saxon brudigumo, Old Norse bruðgumi, Old High German brutigomo, German Bräutigam), except in Gothic, which used bruþsfaþs, literally "bride's lord."

bridesmaid (n.)

"young girl or unmarried woman who attends on a bride at her wedding," 1550s, bridemaid, from bride + maid. The -s- is unetymological but began to appear by 1794 and the form with it predominated by the end of the 19c. Brideman is attested from 1610s as "bridegroom;" bridesman is from 1808 as "male attendant on a bridegroom at his wedding."

bridewell (n.)

"prison," 1550s, from Bridewell, house of correction in London, originally a royal lodging (built by Henry VIII, given by Edward VI for a hospital, later converted to a prison) near Bride's Well, short for St. Bridget's Well.

bridge (n.1)

[structure that affords passage over a ravine or river] Middle English brigge, from Old English brycge, from Proto-Germanic *brugjo (source also of Old Saxon bruggia, Old Norse bryggja, Old Frisian brigge, Dutch brug, Old High German brucca, German Brücke), from PIE root *bhru "log, beam," hence "wooden causeway" (source also of Gaulish briva "bridge," Old Church Slavonic bruvuno "beam," Serbian brv "footbridge").

The original notion is of a beam or log laid down for crossing. Compare Old Church Slavonic mostu, Serbo-Croatian most "bridge," probably originally "beam" and a loanword from Germanic, related to English mast (n.1). For the vowel evolution, see bury.

The meaning "bony upper part of the nose" is from early 15c.; of stringed instruments from late 14c. The bridge of a ship (by 1843) originally was a "narrow raised platform athwart the ship whence the Captain issues his orders" [Sir Geoffrey Callender, "Sea Passages"].

bridge (n.2)

[card game] 1886 (perhaps as early as 1843), an alteration of biritch, but the source and meaning of that are obscure. "Probably of Levantine origin, since some form of the game appears to have been long known in the Near East" [OED]. One guess is that it represents Turkish *bir-üç "one-three," because one hand is exposed and three are concealed. The game also was known early as Russian whist (attested in English from 1839).

bridge (v.)

"build a bridge on or over, span with a bridge," Old English brycgian "to bridge, make a causeway," from bridge (n.). Figurative use is by 1831. Related: Bridged; bridging.

bridgehead (n.)

also bridge-head, 1801, "a fortification covering that end of a bridge which is most exposed to an enemy," from bridge (n.1) + head (n.). Compare French tête-de-pont. From 1930 as "advance point attained by a military force in the face of the enemy" (especially by invasion).

Bridget

fem. proper name, from Irish Brighid, name of a goddess associated with fire, spring, fertility, healing, poetry and smithcraft, from brigh "strength," from Celtic *brig-o-, from PIE *bhrgh-nt- "high, mighty," from root *bhergh- (2) "high."

bridle (n.)

"headpiece of a horse's harness," used to govern and restrain the animal, Old English bridel "a bridle, a restraint," related to bregdan "move quickly," from Proto-Germanic *bregdilaz (see braid (v.)). The etymological notion would be that which one "pulls quickly." Cognate with Old Frisian bridel, Middle Dutch breydel, Dutch breidel, Old High German bridel. A bridle-path (1806) is one wide enough to be traveled on horseback but not with a carriage.

bridle (v.)

"control, dominate; restrain, guide, govern," c. 1200, a figurative use of Old English bridlian "to fit with a bridle," from bridel (see bridle (n.)). The meaning "throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in) is from mid-15c. Related: Bridled; bridling.

Brie (n.)

type of soft, salted, white cream-cheese, 1848, from name of a district in department Seine-et-Marne, southeast of Paris, famous for its cheeses. The name is from Gaulish briga "hill, height."

brief (adj.)

c. 1300, bref, "of short duration;" early 14c., "small with respect to length, short;" from Latin brevis (adj.) "short, low, little, shallow," from PIE *mregh-wi-, from root *mregh-u- "short."

briefs (n.)

"short, tight underwear," 1934, from brief (adj.).

brief (n.)

early 14c., bref, "a writing issued by authority," from Latin breve (genitive brevis), noun derivative of adjective brevis "short, little" (from PIE root *mregh-u- "short") which came to mean "letter, summary," specifically a letter of the pope (less ample and solemn than a bull), and thus came to mean "letter of authority," which yielded the modern, legal sense of "systematic summary of the facts of a case" (1630s). The sense of "a short or concise writing" is from 1560s. In German, Brief has become the general word for "an epistle or letter."

briefing (n.)

"fact or situation of giving preliminary instructions," 1910 (but popularized by World War II pre-flight conferences), verbal noun from brief (v.).

brief (v.)

"to give instructions or information to," 1866; originally "to instruct by a brief" (1862), from brief (n.). Related: Briefed; briefing.

briefcase (n.)

also brief-case, "portable folding case for holding papers," 1908, from brief (n.) in the paper sense + case (n.2). Earlier was brief-bag (1806).

briefly (adv.)

"concisely, with little length," c. 1300, from brief (adj.) + -ly (2). As an introduction to a statement, "in short," it is recorded from 1510s.

brier (n.2)

type of tobacco pipe introduced to England c. 1859 and made from the root of a certain shrub (Erica arborea) in the south of France and Corsica, 1868, from French bruyère "heath plant," from Old French bruiere "heather, briar, heathland, moor" (12c.), from Gallo-Roman *brucaria, from Late Latin brucus "heather," from Gaulish *bruko- (compare Breton brug "heath," Welsh brwg, Old Irish froech). The form was altered in English by influence of brier (n.1).