brake etymology

Etymology: The word "brake" has several etymological origins:

• German: "brechen," meaning "to break"
• Old English: "bræc," meaning "a bush, undergrowth"
• Middle English: "brake," meaning "a thicket, a device for breaking something"

Meaning:

1. A device that slows down or stops the motion of a wheel or shaft: Brakes use friction to convert kinetic energy into heat, which dissipates and reduces the speed of the wheel.

2. A tangle of thick bushes or undergrowth: This sense derives from the Old English meaning of "brake" as "a thicket."

3. A fern that grows in dense thickets: The word "brake" is specifically used to refer to certain species of ferns, particularly those of the genus Pteridium.

Origin:

The word "brake" appeared in English around the 14th century. It originally referred to a bush or thicket, likely because the dense undergrowth acted as a barrier or hindrance. Over time, the word came to be used for devices that slowed down or stopped motion, as this action was analogous to the way a thicket obstructed movement.

brake relate terms

• bracken

  Etymology The word bracken comes from the Middle English word brake which ultimatel

• break

  Etymology Middle English breken breken Old English brecan Proto Germanic brekan Pro

• breach

  Etymology Old French breche from Late Latin brecha from Celtic of unknown origin M

• brake

  Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

• brick

  Etymology The word brick comes from the Middle English word brike which itself is d

• broken

  Etymology Broken comes from the Old English word brocen which meant to break shatt

• Macbeth

  Etymology Old English Macbethad Scottish Gaelic Mac Bethad Proto Celtic Makko

• still

  Etymology The word still has multiple etymological origins Old English stille me

• post

  Etymology From Middle English post from Anglo Norman and Old French post from Latin p

• spot

  Etymology The word spot traces its origins back to Old English OE specifically to t

• stop

  Etymology The word stop comes from the Middle English word stoppen which itself deri

• constraint

  Etymology of Constraint The word constraint comes from the Old French word constra

• disk

  Etymology Old French disque Latin discus Meaning A flat circular object typical

• skid

  Etymology Skid originates from the Old English word scīdan meaning to cut divide or

• restraint

  Etymology Old French restraint 13th century from Latin restrictiō restrictiōnis

• brush

  Etymology and Meaning Brush derives from the Middle English word brusche which in tur

• shrub

  Etymology The word shrub originates from the Middle English word scrob which in tur