Etymologically
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brise

Etymology and origin of the French word brise

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Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1540, Rabelais
Ultimate origin
Spanish (brisa)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bʁiz/[1]

Forms

brise f (plural brises)[1]

Etymology

Its origin is obscure.[2][3][4] The word is found around the same time in the Romance languages (Italian brezza, Spanish brisa, Portuguese brisa) and in the Germanic ones (English breeze, Dutch bries).[5][6] Rey thinks it is probably borrowed from Spanish “brisa” “north-east wind” (1504), which follows Catalan brisa (15th century), since the first French record he knows (1598) is translated from Castilian; he rejects a crossing of Old Occitan bisa (see bise) with a Catalan word for a cold wind, and a crossing of “bise” with briser, which suits the meaning but not the Spanish priority.[2] Because the Romance words are older than English breeze (1565–1589) and German Brise (1726), he also sets aside an East Frisian word for a fresh sea wind,[2] which Bloch and Wartburg, the REW and the Petit Robert take as the starting point, a sailors' word passing into French and, from there into the other Romance languages.[5][7][8] Wiktionary suggests Frankish *brāþi (“steam, vapour”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The GLLF and the Grand Robert date it to Rabelais (1540).[3][6]

Semantic evolution

Sailors introduced it for an east wind met “in the Indies and all the Torrid Zone”; in the 17th century it was defined as a north wind (1611), a storm from the east (1638) and a fresh wind from the land (1678).[2] For unknown reasons the modern word is a light, pleasant wind, both at sea and in general use, where it became common.[2][9] The compound pare-brise “windscreen” belongs to it.[2]

Timeline

  • 1540 – In Rabelais.[3]
  • 1598 – A translation from Castilian.[2]
  • 1611 – “North wind”.[2]
  • 1638 – “Storm from the east”.[2]
  • 1678 – “Fresh land wind”.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A breeze, light wind: une brise tiède, la brise fraîchit.[8][10]
  2. (meteorology) A periodic coastal or valley wind: brise de mer, brise de terre.[10][3]
  3. (nautical) A wind of force 1 to 5 on the Beaufort scale: petite brise, jolie brise, bonne brise.[8][9]
  4. (figurative) A gentle breath: une brise d'apaisement.[3]

Usage notes

Littré records a separate brise, probably from briser, for a crossbar (16th century: barreaux de fer, grans brises traversans).[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 15/1, 288b
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
Cite this entry

“Brise.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/brise. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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