Indo-European Lexicon
PIE Etymon and IE Reflexes
Below we display: a Proto-Indo-European (PIE) etymon adapted from Pokorny, with our own English gloss; our Semantic Field assignment(s) for the etymon, linked to information about the field(s); an optional Comment; and Reflexes (derived words) in various Indo-European languages, organized by family/group in west-to-east order where Germanic is split into West/North/East families and English, our language of primary emphasis, is artificially separated from West Germanic. IE Reflexes appear most often as single words with any optional letter(s) enclosed in parentheses; but alternative full spellings are separated by '/' and "principal parts" appear in a standard order (e.g. masculine, feminine, and neuter forms) separated by commas.
Reflexes are annotated with: Part-of-Speech and/or other Grammatical feature(s); a short Gloss which, especially for modern English reflexes, may be confined to the oldest sense; and some Source citation(s) with 'LRC' always understood as editor. Keys to PoS/Gram feature abbreviations and Source codes appear below the reflexes; at the end are links to the previous/next etyma [in Pokorny's alphabetic order] that have reflexes.
All reflex pages are currently under active construction; as time goes on, corrections may be made and/or more etyma & reflexes may be added.
Pokorny Etymon: 1. bhreg̑- 'to break'
Semantic Field(s): to Break
Indo-European Reflexes:
| Family/Language | Reflex(es) | PoS/Gram. | Gloss | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | ||||
| Middle Irish: | braigid | vb.3.sg | breaks wind | W7 |
| English | ||||
| Old English: | brǣcon | adj | fragile | GED |
| bre(a)htm, bearhtm, beorhtm, byrhtm | n.str.masc | noise | ASD/GED | |
| brecan | vb | to break | W7 | |
| brōc, brēc | n | breech(es), leg covering(s) | W7 | |
| bryce | n | breach, breaking, fragment | GED | |
| gebrecan, gebræc, gebrǣcon, gebrocen | vb.str.IV | to break, destroy, subdue | LRC | |
| gebroc | n.neut | fragment | ASD/GED | |
| gebrocian, gebrocede, gebroced | vb.wk.II | to crush, hurt, afflict | LRC | |
| Middle English: | brake | n | brake, thicket | W7 |
| braken | vb | to spew, vomit | W7 | |
| brayen | vb | to bray | W7 | |
| breche | n | breach | W7 | |
| breech, breeches | n | breech(es) | W7 | |
| breken | vb | to break | W7 | |
| fraccioun | n | fraction | W7 | |
| fragment | n | fragment | W7 | |
| frail | adj | frail | W7 | |
| frangible | adj | frangible | W7 | |
| refreyn | vb | to refrain | W7 | |
| saxifrage | n | saxifrage | W7 | |
| suffrage | n | suffrage | W7 | |
| English: | anfractuous | adj | tortuous, full of windings/intricate turnings | AHD/W7 |
| bracken | n | large coarse fern | AHD/W7 | |
| brake | n | toothed machine/instrument for separating out flax/hemp fiber | AHD/W7 | |
| brake | n | thicket (e.g. of ferns) | AHD/W7 | |
| brash | n | mass of fragments (e.g. of ice) | AHD/W7 | |
| brash | vb | to breach a wall | AHD/W7 | |
| bray | vb | to utter cry characteristic of donkey | AHD/W7 | |
| breach | n | infraction/violation of law/standard/obligation | AHD/W7 | |
| break, broke, brake, broken | vb.str | to render in pieces suddenly/violently | AHD/W7 | |
| breccia | n | rock with sharp-angled fragments in fine-grained matrix | AHD | |
| breech, breeches | n | pants, short trousers | IEW/W7 | |
| brioche | n | roll made from light yeast dough with ample eggs/butter | AHD/W7 | |
| chamfer | n | beveled edge | AHD/W7 | |
| defray | vb.trans | to pay/provide for payment | AHD/W7 | |
| diffraction | n | prismatic effect on light by ruled surface etc. | AHD/W7 | |
| fractal | n | irregular self-similar geometric shape | AHD | |
| fracted | adj | broken | AHD/W7 | |
| fraction | n | representation of two numbers divided | AHD/W7 | |
| fractious | adj | troublesome, refractory | AHD/W7 | |
| fracture | n | break, rupture | AHD/W7 | |
| fragile | adj | frail, easily broken/destroyed | AHD/W7 | |
| fragment | n | piece detached/broken off | AHD/W7 | |
| frail | adj | eaily led into evil | AHD/W7 | |
| frangible | adj | breakable | AHD/W7 | |
| infract | vb.trans | to violate, infringe | AHD/W7 | |
| infrangible | adj | non-breakable | AHD/W7 | |
| infringe | vb | to frustrate, defeat | AHD/W7 | |
| irrefragable | adj | inviolable, impossible to deny/refute | AHD/W7 | |
| irrefrangible | adj | incapable of refraction | AHD/W7 | |
| ossifrage | n | European bird of prey | AHD/W7 | |
| refract | vb.trans | to bend (e.g. path of light) | AHD/W7 | |
| refrain | n | chorus, regularly recurring phrase/verse at end of stanza | AHD/W7 | |
| refringent | adj | refracting, refractive | AHD/W7 | |
| sassafras | n | tall eastern North American tree | AHD/W7 | |
| saxifrage | n | mostly perennial herb with pentamerous flowers | AHD/W7 | |
| septifragal | adj | re: dehiscing by breaking away | AHD/W7 | |
| suffragan | n | diocesan bishop subordinate to metropolitan | AHD/W7 | |
| suffrage | n | supplication, intercessory prayer | AHD/W7 | |
| West Germanic | ||||
| Old Frisian: | breka | vb.str | to break | GED |
| breke | n.str.masc | breach | GED | |
| Frisian: | brekke | vb | to break | ASD |
| Middle Dutch: | broc | n.wk.masc | crumb | GED |
| Dutch: | breken | vb | to break | ASD |
| broek | n | breech, trousers | TLL | |
| Old Saxon: | braht | n.str.masc | crash | GED |
| brahtum | n.str.masc | noise | GED | |
| brekan | vb.str | to break | GED | |
| brocnussi | n | ruin | GED | |
| Middle Low German: | brak | n.str.masc | crash | GED |
| broc | n.wk.masc | crumb | GED | |
| broke | n.str.masc | breach | GED | |
| Old High German: | braht | n.str.masc | crash | GED |
| brehhan | vb | to break | W7 | |
| brocco, brocko | n.wk.masc | crumb, fragment | GED | |
| bruh | n.str.masc | breach | GED | |
| (ga)brechan | vb.str | to break | ASD/GED | |
| Middle High German: | brach | n.str.masc | crash | GED |
| brëchen | vb | to break | ASD | |
| German: | brechen | vb | to break | ASD |
| Bruch | n.masc | breach, break, crash | LRC | |
| North Germanic | ||||
| Old Norse: | braka, brakað | vb | to crack, creak | LRC |
| Old Icelandic: | braigd | n | fart | GED |
| brak | n.str.neut | creaking noise | GED | |
| brakan | n.str.fem | creaking | GED | |
| Icelandic: | brak | n.neut | noise | ASD |
| braka | vb | to creak | ASD | |
| Danish: | brag | n.neut | noise | ASD |
| bräkke | vb | to break | ASD | |
| Old Swedish: | brækne | n | fern | W7 |
| Swedish: | brak | n.neut | noise | ASD |
| bråka, bräcka | vb | to break | ASD | |
| East Germanic | ||||
| Gothic: | brakja | n.fem | struggle | GED |
| *brikan | vb.str.IV | to break, destroy | GED | |
| *gabrikan | vb.str.IV | to break up | GED | |
| *gabruka | n.str.fem | crumb, fragment | GED | |
| ufbrikan | vb.str.IV | to despise | GED | |
| usbruknan | vb.wk.IV | to be broken off | GED | |
| Italic | ||||
| Latin: | anfractus | n.masc | coil, bend | W7 |
| diffractus | vb.ptc | broken apart | W7 | |
| diffringo, diffringere | vb | to break apart | W7 | |
| fragilis | adj | fragile | GED | |
| fragmentum | n.neut | a broken part | W7 | |
| fragor, fragoris | n.masc | noise, crash(ing) | GED | |
| frango, frangere, fregi, fractus | vb | to break | W7 | |
| infringo, infringere, infregi, infractus | vb | to break off | W7 | |
| ossifraga | n.fem | sea eagle | W7 | |
| ossifragus | adj | bone-breaking | W7 | |
| refragor, refragāri, refractus | vb | to oppose | W7 | |
| refringo, refringere | vb | to refract, break up, open | W7 | |
| saxifraga | n.fem | saxifrage | W7 | |
| saxifragus | n.masc | breaking rocks | W7 | |
| suffrāgium | n.neut | vote, ballot, suffrage, lit. noisy agreement | GED | |
| suffragor, suffragāri | vb | to support with one's vote | W7 | |
| Late Latin: | anfractuosus | adj | anfractuous | W7 |
| fractio, fractionis | n.fem | act of breaking | W7 | |
| infrangibilis | adj | unbreakable | W7 | |
| irrefragabilis | adj | impossible to oppose to | W7 | |
| saxifraga | n.fem | saxifrage | W7 | |
| Medieval Latin: | frangibilis | adj | frangible | W7 |
| frango, frangere | vb | to break | W7 | |
| suffraganeus | adj | of support | W7 | |
| suffragium | n.neut | support, prayer | W7 | |
| New Latin: | diffractio, diffractionis | n.fem | diffraction | W7 |
| Spanish: | sasafrás | n.masc | sassafras | W7 |
| Old French: | braire | vb | to cry | W7 |
| frai | n.masc | expenditure, damage by breaking | W7 | |
| frayer | vb | to defray, spend | W7 | |
| Middle French: | chanfraindre, chanfreint | vb | to bevel | W7 |
| chant | n.masc | edge | W7 | |
| deffrayer | vb | to defray | W7 | |
| fra(g)ile | adj | frail, fragile | W7 | |
| frangible | adj | possible to break | W7 | |
| frayer | vb | to rub, expend | W7 | |
| infrangible | adj | impossible to break | W7 | |
| refraindre | vb | to resound, restrain | W7 | |
| saxifrage | n.masc | saxifrage, an herb | W7 | |
| suffrage | n.masc | suffrage | W7 | |
| French: | anfractueux | adj | rugged | W7 |
| brioche | n.fem | brioche, pastry | W7 | |
| fragile | adj | fragile | TLL | |
| frêle | adj | frail | TLL | |
| Italian: | breccia | n | breccia | AHD |
| Baltic | ||||
| Lithuanian: | barškė́ti | n | clatter | GED |
| Indic | ||||
| Sanskrit: | giri-bhráj- | adj | breaking out of the mountains | GED |
Key to Part-of-Speech/Grammatical feature abbreviations:
| Abbrev. | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | = | 3rd person |
| II | = | class 2 |
| IV | = | class 4 |
| adj | = | adjective |
| fem | = | feminine (gender) |
| masc | = | masculine (gender) |
| n | = | noun |
| neut | = | neuter (gender) |
| ptc | = | participle |
| sg | = | singular (number) |
| str | = | strong (inflection) |
| trans | = | transitive |
| vb | = | verb |
| wk | = | weak (inflection) |
Key to information Source codes (always with 'LRC' as editor):
| Code | Citation | |
|---|---|---|
| AHD | = | Calvert Watkins: The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots, 2nd ed. (2000) |
| ASD | = | Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller: An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898) |
| GED | = | Winfred P. Lehmann: A Gothic Etymological Dictionary (1986) |
| IEW | = | Julius Pokorny: Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (1959) |
| LRC | = | Linguistics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| TLL | = | Frederick Bodmer: The Loom of Language (1944) |
| W7 | = | Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (1963) |