outbreak English · revision 10610

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1602|origins=en out|origins=en break}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈaʊt.breɪk/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[out]] and [[break]], from the verb phrase break out.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A breaking out, an eruption of feeling or activity: 1602 in the OED, about 1600 in Etymonline;^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) Merriam-Webster gives 1562.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A verb outbreak, to break out or escape, existed from Old English and was still poetic in the 19th century.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) In geology, the outcrop of a rock stratum is from 1806,^(OED 1989) and a riot or public breach of the peace from 1849.^(OED 1989) It is now used mostly of the sudden start of a disease or of war or violence.^(Collins 2023)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1562 – an outbreak.^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1602 – an eruption, outburst.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1806 – an outcrop (geology).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1849 – a riot.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A sudden start or increase of something unpleasant, especially [[disease]] or [[violence]]: ''an outbreak of flu''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A sudden [[outburst]].^(AHD)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[break]]

+ * [[outburst]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}