breit German · revision 35459

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *braidaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bʁaɪ̯t/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''breit''' (strong nominative masculine singular breiter, comparative breiter, superlative am breitesten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|breit]], [[inh|goh|breit]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*braid]], [[inh|gem-pro|*braidaz|t=broad, wide]].^(Kluge 2011|150)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(EWA|2, 311) The same word is [[got|𐌱𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃|tr=braiþs]], [[non|breiðr]], [[ang|brād]], [[ofs|brēd]], [[osx|brēd]], [[nl|breed]] and [[en|broad]].^(Kluge 2011|150)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|2, 311)^(Orel 2003)

+

+ Its origin is unclear: Kluge, the Duden, the revised Grimm dictionary and the EWA know of no convincing connection outside Germanic.^(Kluge 2011|150)^(Duden 7 2020)^(DWB2|5, 747)^(EWA|2, 311) Inside Germanic the zero grade appears in [[goh|breta|t=flat of the hand]], which Kluge and the EWA take as related;^(Kluge 2011|150)^(EWA|2, 311) Wahrig infers that the word first named a surface or a measure of area.^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Proposed roots include [[ine-pro|*bʰrei-]], as an extension of a root “to fence”, by Trier (in Pfeifer), or the same root in the sense “to cut” (Orel),^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Orel 2003) and a participle of [[ine-pro|*bʰer-|t=to carry]], compared with [[lt|berti|alt=ber̃ti|t=to strew]] (Wiktionary).^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''breit'' appears in glosses from the 8th century and then in Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and Williram, meaning “broad, wide, extensive, flat, large” and figuratively “proud, haughty”.^(Kluge 2011|150)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|59)^(EWA|2, 311) A gloss of the middle of the 9th century renders Latin ''dexteralia'' “bracelets” as ''armbogas breida'', “broad arm rings”.^(DWB2|5, 747)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The adjective first described extension in general, as still in ''weit und breit'' “far and wide” and ''die breite Masse'', “the broad mass”, then the smaller dimension of a surface as against its length.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002) In expressions of measure it once took the genitive, as Middle High German ''eines hâres breit'' “a hair's breadth”; from such phrases come ''eine Handbreit'' and ''einen Fingerbreit''.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002) Of speech it means “long-winded”, as in ''lang und breit''.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|2, 356)

+

+ [[Breitseite]] “the long side of a ship” dates from the 16th century and later, after English ''broadside'', meant the guns of one side and their firing.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) The colloquial ''jemanden breitschlagen'' “to talk someone round” (18th century) probably comes from metalworking,^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002) and ''breit'' “drunk, stoned” is regional slang.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) English took over ''Breitschwanz'' as ''broadtail'', a lamb's fur, in 1892.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''breit'' appears in glosses.^(Kluge 2011|150)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – A gloss renders “bracelets” as broad arm rings.^(DWB2|5, 747)

+ * 16th century – ''Breitseite'' “the long side of a ship” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – ''verbreiten'', ''verbreitern'' and ''breitschlagen'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1892 – English ''broadtail'' is first recorded, from German ''Breitschwanz''.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|broad|alt=Broad]], [[m|en|wide]]: ''ein breiter Fluss''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(with a measure)'' Having a given width: ''Das Regal ist achtzig Zentimeter breit.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Wide-ranging, concerning large parts of the public: ''ein breites Angebot''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Long-winded: ''etwas lang und breit erzählen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # Broad, coarse in manner or speech: ''Er sprach mit breitem schwäbischem Akzent.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(regional, colloquial)'' [[m|en|drunk|alt=Drunk]] or [[m|en|stoned]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Breite]]

+ * [[breiten]]

+ * [[ausbreiten]]

+ * [[verbreiten]]

+ * [[verbreitern]]

+ * [[unterbreiten]]

+ * [[Breitseite]]

+ * [[breitschlagen]]

+ * [[Handbreit]]

+ * [[Breitengrad]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|broad]]

+ * [[goh|breta]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In paired phrases ''breit'' always comes second: ''weit und breit'', ''lang und breit'', ''groß und breit''.^(DWB|2, 356) ''Sich breitmachen'' is “to take up a lot of space” and also “to spread”; in Switzerland ''etwas breitschlagen'' is “to make too much of something”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}