Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

BRECAN

  • verb [ strong ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
BRECAN, ic brece, ðú bricest, bricst, he briceþ, bricþ, pl. brecaþ; p. ic, he bræc, ðú brǽce, pl. brǽcon; pp. brocen.
Wright's OE grammar
§54; §80; §106; §292; §309; §503; §505;
v. trans. 1. to
BREAK, burst, violate, break or burst through; frangere, confringere, rumpere, perfringere, perrurnpere
Show examples

  • Lét se hearda Higeláces þegn brádne méce brecan ofer bordweal

    the fierce thane of Higelac caused his broad sword to break over the shield.

      Beo. Th. 5952; B. 2980: Exon. 102 b; Th. 387, 10; Rä. 5, 3: Andr. Kmbl. 1007; An. 504: Salm. Kmbl. 202 ; Sal. 100.

  • Hit þurh hróf wadeþ, briceþ boldgetimbru

    it goeth through the roof, breaketh the timbers of the house,

    825 ;
      Sal. 412 : Exon. 125 a; Th. 482, 8; Rä. 66, 4.

  • Se Hǽlend bræc ða hláfas

    Iesus fregit panes,

      Mt. Bos. 14, 19: 15, 36: Beo. Th. 3027; B. 1511: 3138; B. 1567.

  • Ne brǽcon hí ná his sceancan

    non fregernt ejus crura,

      Jn. Bos. 19, 33.

  • Swá swá fæt tigelen ðú bricst hi

    tanquam vas figuli confringes eos,

      Ps. Spl. 2, 9.

  • Seó wiht, gif hió gedýgeþ, dúna briceþ

    the creature, if it escape, will burst the hills,

      Exon. 109 b; Th. 420, 6; Rä. 39, 6.

  • Him egsa becom ðá déma duru in helle bræc

    dread came over them when the judge burst the doors in hell.

      Cd. 221; Th. 288, 15; Sat. 381.

  • Gif hie brecaþ his gebodscipe, he him abolgen wurþeþ

    if they break [violate] his commandment, he will be incensed against them,

      22; Th. 28, 3; Gen. 430.

  • Ðú mín bibod brǽce

    thou didst break my commandment,

      Exon. 28 a; Th. 85, 20; Cri. 1394.

  • Bræc se here ðone friþ the army broke [violated] the peace, Chr. 911;

    Erl.

      100, 16: 921; Erl. 106, 6.

  • Heó Alwaldan bræc willan

    she broke [violated] the Almighty's will,

      Cd. 29; Th. 37, 34; Gen. 599.

  • Yldran usse in oferhygdum ðín bibodu brǽcon

    our forefathers in pride broke thy commandments,

      Exon. 53 a; Th. 186, 13; Az. 19: Cd. 188; Th. 234, 28; Dan. 299.

  • Gif hwá his áþ brece, béte swá dómbóc tǽce

    if any one break his oath, let him make amends as the doom-book may teach,

      L. Ed. 8 ; Th. i. 164, 2.

  • Ðæt ǽnig mon wǽre ne brǽce

    that any man should not break the compact,

      Beo. Th. 2205 ; B. 1100.

  • Bióþ brocene áþsweord eorla

    the oaths of the warriors will be broken,

    4132 ;
      B. 2063.

  • He lǽteþ inwitfán brecan ðone burg-weal

    he lets the shafts of treachery break through the town-wall,

      Exon. 83b; Th. 315, 28; Mód. 38.

  • Ic hwílum éðelfæsten brece

    sometimes I break through a land-fastness,

      Exon. 126 b; Th. 487, 4; Rä. 72, 23.

  • Se storm and seó stronge lyft brecaþ bráde gesceaft

    the storm and the strong blast shall break through the broad creation,

      Exon. 22 b ; Th. 61, 29; Cri. 992.

  • Eádweard bræc ðone bordweall

    Edward broke through the wall of shields,

      Byrht. Th. 139, 60; By. 277.

  • Brǽcon bordhreóðan

    [they] broke through the wall of shields.

      Elen. Kmbl. 243; El. 122.

  • Leóht lyftedoras bræc

    the light burst through the aerial dwellings,

      Cd. 155 ; Th. 193, 24; Exod. 251.
to press, force, urge; urgere
Show examples

  • Lufian hine fyrwet bræc lulianan

    desire urged him to love Juliana,

      Exon. 66 a; Th. 244, 14; Jul. 27: Salm. Kmbl. 493; Sal. 247: Beo. Th. 470; B. 232: 5562; B. 2784.
to rush into a place, take a place
by storm; in locum irrumpere, expugnare
Show examples

  • Siððan he for wlence beorgas brǽce

    since he for pride rushed into the mountains,

      Exon. 35 b; Th. 114, 29; Gú. 180.

  • Cwom [MS. cuom] feorþe healf hund scipa on Temese múþan, and brǽcon Contwara burg and Lundenburg

    three hundred and fifty ships came to the mouth of the Thames, and took Canterbury and London by storm,

      Chr. 851; Erl. 66, 34.
v. intrans.
to break or burst forth, make a noise or
crash; erumpere, prorumpere, crepare, fremere
Show examples

  • Geseah streám brecan of beorge

    [he] saw a stream burst forth from the mount,

      Bec. Th. 5085 ; B. 2546.

  • Wæter wynsumu of ðære moldan tyrf brecaþ

    pleasant waters burst forth from the turf of the earth,

      Exon. 56 b; Th. 202, 9; Ph. 67.

  • Swógaþ windas, bláwaþ brecende, bearhtma mǽste

    winds shall howl, crashing blow, with greatest of sounds,

      Exon. 21 b; Th. 59, II; Cri. 951.
to sail; navi-gare
Show examples

  • Scealtú ceól gestígan, and brecan ofer bæþweg

    thou shalt ascend a ship, and sail over the sea [lit. bath-way ],

      Andr. Kmbl. 445 ; An. 223 : Elen. Kmbl. 487; El. 244.

  • We brecaþ ofer bæþweg brimhengestum

    we sail over the sea in ships [lit. sea-horses ]

    .
      Andr. Kmbl. 1025; An. 513.
v. reflex.
To retch; screare
Show examples

  • Gebræd he hine seócne, and ongan hine brecan to spíwenne

    he feigned himself sick, and began retching to spew,

      Chr. 1003; Erl. 139, 9.
Etymology
[Wyc. breke, breek: Piers breken: R. Glouc. breke: Laym. breken: Orm. brekenn: Plat. broeken, breken: O. Sax. brekan: Frs. brekke: O. Frs. breka: Dut. breken: Ger. brechen: M. H. Ger. brëchen: O. H. Ger. brechan: Goth. brikan : Dan. bräkke: Swed. bråka, bräcka: Icel. braka to creak.]
Derived forms
DER. a-brecan, be-, for-, ge-, ofer-, on-, to-, þurh-, upa-: brec, -mǽlum, -ung; ǽ-, ge-, bán-ge-, cumbol-ge-: breca, breoca, ǽw-, wiðer-: brece, hláf-ge-: brecendlíc, una-: brecþ, edor-: bræc, -cóðu, -seóc, -seócnes; ge-, fýr-ge-, hrǽc-ge-, neb-ge-: brǽce, ǽw-, -un-: brice, bryce, ǽw-, áþ-, bán-, borh-, burh-, ciric-, cyric-, eodor-, fæsten-, freóls-, ful-, ge-, griþ-, hád-, hús-, lah-, mund-, sám-, wed-: breahtm: broc, scip-ge-, un-.
Linked entries
v.  ǽ-brec bracan brǽce brec breca brece hús-brice.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “BRECAN.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/4997.

Checked: 0
Full form

Word-wheel

  • BRECAN, v.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.