n.
'brimstone'
(Modern English brimstone)ME forms of the v. brennen in br- (i.e. without metathesis; see brenne (v.)) and their derivatives, including the first element of this compound, are usually derived, at least to some extent, from ON. Further Scandinavian input may be suggested by the fact that the compound first occurs in English in the 12c., and OE bryn-stān (see DOE, cp. earlier cwic-fȳr, swefel (TOE)) is used in the same context as OIcel brennusteinn 'sulphur' (and at a similar date, see ONP), while identical formations in WGmc, e.g. MLG bernsteen are used with the sense 'amber' (OED).
PGmc Ancestor
*ƀrennan- or *ƀrannjan-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
cp. brenna (v.) 'to burn (intrans. and trans.)', brennusteinn 'sulphur'
(ONP brenna (2) (vb.); brenna (3) (vb.); cp. brennusteinn (sb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
OE Cognate
cp. beornan, biernan, byrnan (v.) 'to burn, be on fire, give light'; bærnan 'to cause to burn (etc.)'
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
C2
(C4)
First attested in late OE in the 12c. as bryn-stān; widespread in ME, incl. Chaucer.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Cl 967