Etymology

bream

B3R1E1A1M3

Today it means: A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known. Full definition →

Middle English breme ← Old French breme ← Frankish *brahsma
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bream · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰerek-“to shine”
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*brehwanaz“shining, glittery, sparkly”
  3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*brahsmô
  4. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*brahsmō
  5. Frankish · derived from*brahsma
  6. Old French · derived frombreme
  7. Middle English · inherited frombreme
  8. English todaybream

From Middle English breme, from Old French breme, bresme, braisme, brasme (whence French brème), from Frankish *brahsma, *brahsima (whence Dutch brasem), from Proto-West Germanic *brahsmō (whence Old High German brahsma, brahsmo, brahsina, brehsina (whence German Brasse, Brachse (“bream”))), from Proto-Germanic *brahsmô, *brahsinō, *brahsmaz (“bream”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *brehwanaz (“shining, glittery, sparkly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerek- (“to shine”) (see braid (verb)).

bream · verb2

Compare broom, and German brennen (as in ein Schiff brennen).

Bream · proper noun3

English surname, from an obsolete derivative of the root of the noun broom. Also from the adjective breme (“famous”). Compare the spelling variant Braham.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.