Etymology

braid

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Today it means: To make a sudden movement with, to jerk. Full definition →

First used 11th–17th c.Middle English braiden ← Old English breġdan ← Proto-West Germanic *bregdan
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braid · verb, noun, adjective1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰrēḱ-
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*bregdaną“to flicker, flutter, jerk, tug, twitch, flinch, move, swing”
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bregdan
  4. Old English · inherited frombreġdan“to move quickly, pull, shake, swing, throw (wrestling), draw (sword), drag; bend, weave, braid, knit, join together; change color, vary, be transformed; bind, knot; move, be pulled; flash”
  5. Middle English · inherited frombraiden
  6. English todaybraid

From Middle English braiden, breided, bræiden, from Old English breġdan (“to move quickly, pull, shake, swing, throw (wrestling), draw (sword), drag; bend, weave, braid, knit, join together; change color, vary, be transformed; bind, knot; move, be pulled; flash”), from Proto-West Germanic *bregdan, from Proto-Germanic *bregdaną (“to flicker, flutter, jerk, tug, twitch, flinch, move, swing”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrēḱ-, *bʰrēǵ- (“to shine, shimmer”). Cognate with Scots Scots brade, Scots braid (“to move quickly or suddenly”), Saterland Frisian braidje (“to knit”), West Frisian breidzje, Dutch breien (“to knit”), Low German breiden, German breiden, Bavarian bretten (“to move quickly, twitch”), Icelandic bregða (“to move quickly, jerk”), Faroese bregða (“to move quickly, react swiftly; to draw (sword)”) and Faroese bregda (“to plaid, braid, twist, twine”).

braid · noun2

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bredą“board, plank”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bred
  3. Old English · inherited frombred“board, plank, tablet, table”
  4. Middle English · inherited frombrede
  5. English todaybraid

From Middle English brede, bræd, bred, from Old English bred (“board, plank, tablet, table”), from Proto-West Germanic *bred, from Proto-Germanic *bredą (“board, plank”), e-grade byform of *burdą (“board, plank”). Cognate with Scots bred, braid, brad (“board, plank, wooden tablet”), Saterland Frisian Brääd (“board, plank”), West Frisian bret (“board, plank”), Dutch bred, berd (“plank, table”), German Low German Bredd (“board, plank”), German Brett (“board, plank”), Danish bræt (“board, plank”)..

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishbrede all →

bread

Old Englishbred all →

Bretford

First known use, by meaning

  • 11th–17th c. A sudden movement; a jerk, a wrench.
  • from 16th c. A weave of three or more strands of fibers, ribbons, cords or hair often for decoration.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.