breken

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch brēken, from Old Dutch *brecan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbreːkə(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bre‧ken
• Rhymes: -eːkən

Verb

breken

1. (ergative) to break

Conjugation

Conjugation of breken (strong class 4)
infinitive	breken
past singular	brak
past participle	gebroken
infinitive	breken
gerund	breken n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	breek	brak
2nd person sing. (jij)	breekt, breek2	brak
2nd person sing. (u)	breekt	brak
2nd person sing. (gij)	breekt	braakt
3rd person singular	breekt	brak
plural	breken	braken
subjunctive sing.1	breke	brake
subjunctive plur.1	breken	braken
imperative sing.	breek
imperative plur.1	breekt
participles	brekend	gebroken
1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion.

Derived terms

adjectives

• breekbaar

nouns

• beenbreek
• breekal
• breekijzer
• breekpunt
• breekvasten
• brekebeen
• breking
• echtbreker
• hersenbreker
• ijsbreker
• lichtbreking
• schokbreker
• steenbreek

phrases

• de hel breekt los
• nood breekt wet
• nou breekt mijn klomp

verbs

• aanbreken
• afbreken
• binnenbreken
• doorbreken
• een lans breken
• gebreken
• heenbreken
• het ijs breken
• inbreken
• kapotbreken
• losbreken
• onderbreken
• ontbreken
• opbreken
• openbreken
• overbreken
• stukbreken
• terugbreken
• uitbreken
• verbreken
• voorbreken
• voortbreken
• wegbreken

Related terms

• braak
• breuk
• brok
• gebrek
• inbraak

Descendants

• Afrikaans: breek
• Berbice Creole Dutch: breke
• Negerhollands: breek

Anagrams

• berken

Low German

Alternative forms

• bräken (especially southern Lower Saxony, eastern dialects)
• briäken (Westphalia)
• braeken, breaken, brekken (New Saxon Spelling)

Etymology

From Middle Low German brēken, from Old Saxon brekan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-. Cognate to Plautdietsch bräken, English break, West Frisian brekke, Danish brække, German brechen, Dutch breken.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbreːkən/, [breːkŋ̍]

Verb

breken (third-person singular simple present brickt, past tense brook, past participle broken, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. (especially coastal dialects) to break

Conjugation

Conjugation of breken (class 4 strong verb)

infinitive	breken
	present	preterite
1st person singular	breek	brook
2nd person singular	bricks(t)	brooks(t)
3rd person singular	brick(t)	brook
plural	breekt, breeken	broken
	imperative
singular	breek
plural	breekt
	present	past
participle	breken	(e)broken, gebroken

Note: This conjugation is one of many.
Neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Middle Dutch

Etymology

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

Verb

brēken

1. to break, to break into pieces
2. to break, to be broken
3. to destroy
4. to break in
5. to end, to diminish, to weaken
6. to break, to overcome resistance, to subdue

Inflection

Conjugation of brēken (strong class 4)

infinitive	base form	brēken
	genitive	brēkens
	dative	brēkene
		indicative			subjunctive
		present	past		present	past
1st person singular		brēke	brac		brēke	brâke
2nd person singular		brēecs, brēkes	brâecs, brâkes		brēecs, brēkes	brâkes
3rd person singular		brēect, brēket	brac		brēke	brâke
1st person plural		brēken	brâken		brēken	brâken
2nd person plural		brēect, brēket	brâect, brâket		brēect, brēket	brâket
3rd person plural		brēken	brâken		brēken	brâken
		imperative
singular		brec, brēec, brēke
plural		brēect, brēket
		present	past
participle		brēkende	gebroken

Derived terms

• gebrēken
• misbrēken
• ontbrēken
• tebrēken
• verbrēken

Descendants

• Dutch: breken
• Limburgish: braeke

Further reading

• “breken (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “breken”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• brake, breek, brek, breke, breyken
• breoken (AB language)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English brecan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną. Doublet of brayen (“to break up”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrɛ̞ːkən/

Verb

breken (third-person singular simple present breketh, present participle brekynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative brak, past participle breken or broken)

1. To break up or split; to break into two or more pieces:
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[1], published c. 1410, Apocalips 2:27, folio 118, recto, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     "he ſchal gou̇ne hem ın an ırẽ ȝerde / ⁊ þei ſchulẽ be bꝛokũ togıdere .· as a veſſel of a pottere

     He'll control them with an iron rod, and they'll be broken apart like a potter's vessel.

   1. To pulverise; to break into innumerable small pieces.
   2. To break off; to split from a larger whole.
   3. (figurative, of the heart) To ruin or break.
   4. To injure (a person or bone)
      • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[2], published c. 1410, Joon 19:36, folio 55, recto, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

        and þeſe thingis werẽ don .· that the ſcripture ſchulde be fillid / ȝe ſchulen not bꝛeke a boon of hym

        These things occurred so Scripture could be fulfilled: "You won't break any of his bones".

2. To ruin or destroy:
   1. To dissolve or scatter (an institution or group)
   2. To mentally weaken or corrode; to break down.
   3. To violate; to fail to adhere to.
   4. To stop, end, or terminate.
   5. (medicine) To destroy or split (a pustule, rheum, etc.)
3. To pierce, break open or break into:
   1. To breach; to forcibly enter (especially to rob).
   2. To rupture or dent (fabric, a membrane, or the soil).
   3. (rare) To erupt; to break into (e.g. action or speech).
4. To break out; to escape from.
5. To pause or interrupt; to temporarily stop.
6. To swerve or bend; to be or put in a curve.

Conjugation

Conjugation of breken (strong class 4)

infinitive	(to) breken, breke
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	breke	brak, brek
2nd-person singular	brekest	breke1, brake1, broke1
3rd-person singular	breketh	brak, brek
subjunctive singular	breke	breke2, brake2, broke2
imperative singular		—
plural3	breken, breke	breken, breke, braken, brake, broken, broke
imperative plural	breketh, breke	—
participles	brekynge, brekende	broken, broke, ybroken, ybroke

¹ Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or brakest, brekest.
² Later replaced by the indicative.
³ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

• breken bred
• breken fro
• breken heed
• breken in
• breken los
• breken on
• breken out
• breken up
• brekere

Descendants

• English: break
• Middle Scots: brek, breke
  • Scots: brack, breck, brak, brek
• Yola: brough, brocke, brek

References

• “brēken, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• Rettger, James Frederick (1934), “The Development of Ablaut in the Strong Verbs of the East Midland Dialects of Middle English”, in Language (Language Dissertations; 16)‎^[3], volume 10, number 4, Philadelphia: Linguistic Society of America, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, part 1 (Verbs of the Regular Ablaut Classes), chapter 4 (Verbs of the Fourth Ablaut Class), pages 45-49.