breost

Middle English

Noun

breost (plural breostes or breosten)

1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of brest (“breast”)

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *breustą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell”). Cognate with Old Frisian briāst, Old Saxon briost, Old Norse brjóst.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bre͜oːst/

Noun

brēost n

1. chest
2. breast
   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, "Gospel of Saint John", chapter 13, verse 25

     Witodlīce þā hē hlinode ofer ðæs Hǣlendes brēostum, hē cwæð tō him, Drihten, hwæt ys hē?

     Certainly when he leaned over the Healer's (Jesus') breasts, he said to him, Lord, who is he?

3. heart (seat of emotions located in the chest area)

Declension

Usual (neuter) declension: Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	brēost	brēost
accusative	brēost	brēost
genitive	brēostes	brēosta
dative	brēoste	brēostum

Occasionally it occurs as feminine: Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	brēost	brēosta, brēoste
accusative	brēoste	brēosta, brēoste
genitive	brēoste	brēosta
dative	brēoste	brēostum

Descendants

• Middle English: brest, breste, breost, breist, brost, brust, brist, breast, bryest
  • English: brest, breast
  • Scots: brest, breist, breest