forbreak

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰreg-“to break”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*frabrekaną“to break up”
3. Old English · inherited fromforbrecan“to break up, break in pieces, violate, destroy”
4. Middle English · inherited fromforbreken
5. English todayforbreak

From Middle English forbreken, from Old English forbrecan (“to break up, break in pieces, violate, destroy”), from Proto-Germanic *frabrekaną (“to break up”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”), equivalent to for- (“fully, up”) + break. Cognate with Dutch verbreken (“to sever, disrupt”), German verbrechen (“to commit, perpetrate”).

Words from the same roots