break bread

English

Verb

break bread (third-person singular simple present breaks bread, present participle breaking bread, simple past and past participle broke bread)

1. To eat a meal, especially to eat a shared meal with friends.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Acts, 20:7:

     And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

   • 1879, Anthony Trollope, chapter 63, in John Caldigate:

     At last it was decided that he should take her, reaching the place about the hour of lunch, so that he might again break bread in her father's house.

2. (Christianity) To take part in Holy Communion.
   • 1979, Ronald E. Osborn, The Faith We Affirm^[1], ISBN 9780827210097, page 61:

     In baptism we make covenant; in communion we renew covenant week by week. . . . After offering prayers of thanksgiving, together we break bread and drink from the cup.

Derived terms

• breaking of bread

Translations

to eat a meal, especially shared

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: հաց կիսել (hacʿ kisel), հաց կտրել (hacʿ ktrel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: （共同）进餐

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: murtaa leipä
• French: casser la croûte (fr) (familiar)
• German: das Brot miteinander teilen

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: comer (pt) em (pt) conjunto (pt)
• Russian: раздели́ть хлеб-соль (razdelítʹ xleb-solʹ)
• Spanish: compartir el pan
• Turkish: ekmeğini paylaşmak
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Christianity

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: հաց կտրել (hacʿ ktrel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 进圣餐 (zh)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: murtaa leipä
• French: partager le pain m
• German: Brot brechen

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: comungar (pt)
• Russian: преломля́ть хлеб (prelomljátʹ xleb)
• Spanish: comulgar (es)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can