Etymology

broken

B3R1O1K5E1N1

Today it means: Fragmented; in separate pieces. Full definition →

Middle English broken ← Old English brocen ← Proto-Germanic *brukanaz
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*brekaną“to break”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*brukanaz
  3. Old English · inherited frombrocen
  4. Middle English · inherited frombroken
  5. English todaybroken

From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen, ġebrocen, from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”). Cognate with Dutch gebroken (“broken”), German Low German broken (“broken”), German gebrochen (“broken”). Morphologically broke + -n.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishbrocen all →

Brokenborough

Proto-Germanic*brekaną all →

breakbrakebraybracken

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.