bread
/brɛd/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*braudą — brew, broth, or piece of food
Overview
Meaning Now
- A staple food prepared from a dough of flour or meal and water, usually by baking.
- Colloquial term for money or livelihood.
Literal older meaning
fragment, bit, or piece
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
brēad
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word originally referred to a 'bit' or 'morsel' of food. The Old English 'hlāf' (the ancestor of 'loaf') was the primary term for the foodstuff, but it was gradually supplanted by 'bread' as the common descriptor during the Middle English period.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*bhrēw-
“to boil, brew, or cook”
Base meaning related to preparation through heat.
- Proto-Germanic
*braudą
“piece, fragment, or cooked food”
Originally referred to fragments or leavened pieces.
- Old English
brēad
“morsel, bit, or bread”
Initially meant 'piece' or 'bit', replacing the earlier 'hlāf' (loaf).
- Middle English
breed
“baked dough food”
Standardization of spelling as the primary term for the foodstuff.
Connections
Word parts
bread
root
baked staple food
Related across languages
German
Brot
bread
Dutch
brood
bread
Explore next
Related to bread
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.