Etymology
The absence of metathesis suggests that ME
brest probably derives from ON, cp. OIcel
brestr 'crash, crack, defect, loss', rather than OE
byrst 'loss, calamity, injury, defect' (< PGmc *
ƀrestuz, cp. OHG
bresto 'destruction, damage'). The n. is derived from the st. v. *
ƀrestan- 'to burst', cp. OE
berstan, OFris
bersta, OS, OHG
brestan, OIcel
bresta. A variety of spellings occur in ME with and without metathesis and with different vocalism (with and without the raising of
e >
i before
st), and it is not always clear what individual forms owe to ON or OE input, or to some combination of the two (cp. the forms cited under
OED s.v.
burst (n.) and
MED s.v.
brist (n.), and see the comments in Bj. 183).
PGmc Ancestor
*ƀrestuz
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
brestr 'crash, crack, defect, loss'
(ONP brestr (sb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far brestur, Icel brestur, Norw brest, Dan brist, OSw bräster, braster
OE Cognate
byrst 'loss, calamity, injury, defect'
Phonological and morphological markers
[
absence of metathesis
]
(possibly diagnostic)
Summary category
C2c