brian

brian · verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰrenu-“burn, fire”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*bruniz“fire, burning”
3. Old English · derived frombryne“a burning, conflagration, fire, flame, heat, inflammation, burn, scald, torch, fervor, passion”
4. Middle English · derived frombrüne“a burn, a burning”
5. English todaybrian

From dialectal English, probably variant of brine (“to burn”), from brine (“a burning”), from Middle English brüne (“a burn, a burning”), from Old English bryne (“a burning, conflagration, fire, flame, heat, inflammation, burn, scald, torch, fervor, passion”), from Proto-Germanic *bruniz (“fire, burning”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrenu- (“burn, fire”). Cognate with Scots brin (“a flash”), Scots brin, bryne (“to be on fire, be inflamed, burn”), Old Norse bruni (“fire, burning”). More at burn.

Brian · proper noun²

1. Irish · borrowed fromBrian
2. English todayBrian

Borrowed from Irish Brian. Doublet of Brendan.

Words from the same roots