breeze

breeze · noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · inherited frombrees“wind”
2. English todaybreeze

From the earlier (nautical) term brise, brize (“breeze”), from Middle English brees (“wind”). Ultimate origin obscure. Variously supposed to derive from a Germanic source like Saterland Frisian Briese (“breeze”), West Frisian brys (“a cool wind”), Dutch bries (“breeze”), early Dutch brysen (“to blow cool and fresh”), or from Spanish brisa (“northeast wind”). The earliest attestations are in Middle English brees (1460), Catalan brisa, and Italian brezza (all in 15th century), with Spanish (1504) and Portuguese briza (16th century) following closely after. The aforementioned Dutch cognates and French brise, however, are attested later than the term in English. The only internal hypothesis for any of those languages is a modification of Old Occitan bisa (“strong wind”), which is not widely accepted. Compare also Albanian breshër (“hail”).

breeze · noun, verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰerem-“to make a noise, buzz, hum”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bremusī“gadfly”
3. Old English · inherited frombrēosa
4. Middle English · inherited frombrese
5. English todaybreeze

From Middle English brese, from Old English brēosa, variant of Old English brimsa (“gadfly”), from Proto-Germanic *bremusī (“gadfly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerem- (“to make a noise, buzz, hum”). Cognate with Dutch brems (“horsefly, warblefly”), German Bremse (“gadfly, horsefly”), Danish bremse (“gadfly, horsefly”), Swedish broms (“gadfly, horsefly”). Related also to Middle English brimse (“gadfly”), French brize (“gadfly”), Old English bremman (“to rage, roar”), Latin fremō (“roar, snort, growl, grumble”). See also bream.

breeze · noun³

1. French · derived frombraise“burning coals”
2. English todaybreeze

Probably from French braise (“burning coals”).

Breeze · proper noun⁴

* As an English surname, spelling variant of Breese. * As a Welsh surname, from ap Rhys (“son of Rhys”); see Reese.

Words from the same roots