Etymology

The closest comparanda to this ME word are the Scandinavian nouns Dan bregne, Sw bräken and (corrupt) Icel burkni and Norw burkne, and on this basis an ON *brakni is usually reconstructed. No OE bræcen is attested (nor is there evidence for Holthausen's bracu 'thicket', sometimes referenced by other commentators), and EPNE notes the distribution of place-names incorporating this element in the Danelaw and its usual combination with other ON elements as further evidence for Scandinavian origin.

PGmc Ancestor

?*ƀrak-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

*brakni
(ONP )

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Dan bregne, Sw bräken

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

B1c

Attestation

MED's citations begin c. 1300 and are predominantly, but not exclusively, N and E. It has also been identified as an element in Danelaw place-names (EPNE).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 1675

Bibliography

MED brāke(n (n.) , OED bracken (n.1) , HTOED , Bj. 231-2, Mag burkn, burnki, Hellquist bräken, Nielsen bregne, EPNE *brakni