breme

See also: Breme, brème, brême, and Brême

English

Etymology

From Middle English brem, breme, from Old English brēme (“famous, glorious, noble”), from Proto-West Germanic *brōmi, from Proto-Germanic *brōmiz (“famous”). Cognate with Latin fremō (“to murmur; to roar”), Ancient Greek βρέμω (brémō, “to roar”), Polish brzmieć (“to be heard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɹiːm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːm
• Homophone: bream

Adjective

breme

1. (obsolete except Northern England, Scotland or poetic) Of the sea, wind, etc.: fierce; raging; stormy, tempestuous.
   • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC:

     Let me, ah! lette me in your folds ye lock, / Ere the breme winter breede you greater griefe.

   • 1748, James Thomson, The Castle of Indolence: […], London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     The same to him glad Summer or the Winter breme.

Alternative forms

• (fierce; raging; stormy, tempestuous): brim

Anagrams

• EBMer, Ember, berme, ember

Galician

Verb

breme

1. inflection of bremar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French bresme. See French brème.

Noun

breme m (plural bremi)

1. bream (of genus Abramis)

Further reading

• James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Breme”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English breme

Noun

breme

1. stormy, tempestuous, fierce
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knyghtes Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:

     He was war of Arcite and Palamon / Þat fouȝten breme as it were bores two.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], (please specify the book number), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:

     "So upon the morn there came Sir Gawaine as brim (breme) as any boar, with a great spear in his hand."

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Old English

Alternative forms

• brœ̄me — Anglian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *brōmi, from Proto-Germanic *brōmiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbreː.me/
• Rhymes: -eː.me

Adjective

brēme (superlative brēmest) (West Saxon)

1. (poetic) famous, renowned, glorious

Declension

Declension of brēme — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	brēme	brēmu, brēmo	brēme
Accusative	brēmne	brēme	brēme
Genitive	brēmes	brēmre	brēmes
Dative	brēmum	brēmre	brēmum
Instrumental	brēme	brēmre	brēme
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	brēme	brēma, brēme	brēmu, brēmo
Accusative	brēme	brēma, brēme	brēmu, brēmo
Genitive	brēmra	brēmra	brēmra
Dative	brēmum	brēmum	brēmum
Instrumental	brēmum	brēmum	brēmum

Declension of brēme — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	brēma	brēme	brēme
Accusative	brēman	brēman	brēme
Genitive	brēman	brēman	brēman
Dative	brēman	brēman	brēman
Instrumental	brēman	brēman	brēman
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	brēman	brēman	brēman
Accusative	brēman	brēman	brēman
Genitive	brēmra, brēmena	brēmra, brēmena	brēmra, brēmena
Dative	brēmum	brēmum	brēmum
Instrumental	brēmum	brēmum	brēmum

Descendants

• Middle English: brem, breme
  • English: breme
  • Scots: breme

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

• brime (Ikavian)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bermę.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brême/
• Hyphenation: bre‧me

Noun

brȅme n (Cyrillic spelling бре̏ме)

1. burden, load

Declension

Declension of breme

	singular	plural
nominative	breme	bremèna
genitive	bremena	bremena
dative	bremenu	bremenima
accusative	breme	bremena
vocative	breme	bremena
locative	bremenu	bremenima
instrumental	bremenom	bremenima

Derived terms

• bremènit