brecan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbre.kɑn/

Verb

brecan

1. to break

   Synonyms: brēatan, berstan, brēotan, brīetan

2. to break into a place
   • c. 893, Alfred the Great, Doom Book

     Ġif þēof brece mannes hūs nihtes and hē weorðe þǣr ofslæġen, ne sīe hē nā mansleġes sċyldiġ. Ġif hē siþþan æfter sunnan upgange þis dēþ, hē biþ mansleġes sċyldiġ, and hē þonne self swelte, būtan hē nīeddǣda wǣre.

     If a robber breaks into someone's house at night and the homeowner kills them, the homeowner is not guilty of murder. But if they do this after sunrise, they are guilty of murder, and they will die too, unless they acted out of necessity.

Conjugation

Conjugation of brecan (strong, class IV)

infinitive	brecan	brecenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	brece	bræc
second person singular	bricst	brǣce
third person singular	bricþ	bræc
plural	brecaþ	brǣcon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	brece	brǣce
plural	brecen	brǣcen
imperative
singular	brec
plural	brecaþ
participle	present	past
	brecende	(ġe)brocen

Derived terms

• ābrecan
• bebrecan
• forbrecan
• ġebrecan
• inbrecan
• oferbrecan
• tōbrecan
• þurhbrecan

Related terms

• *brucol
• *bryċel

Descendants

• Middle English: breken, breoken, braken
  • English: break
  • Scots: breke, brick, brak
  • Yola: brough, brocke, brek