breast
UK[brɛst]US[brɛst]
n
Either of the two soft, rounded parts of a woman's chest that produce milk after she has a baby.
n
The front part of a person's body between the neck and the stomach; the chest.
n
The part of a bird that corresponds to the chest and is often eaten as food.
v
To face and move forward against something difficult or challenging.
Etymology
The word 'breast' originates from the Old English 'brēost', a common Germanic term with cognates in Old Frisian, Old Saxon, and Old Norse. It descends from the Proto-Germanic 'breustam', whose own Proto-Indo-European root is uncertain but is thought to be related to the concept of swelling or a rounded protuberance. This ancient physical sense directly informs its primary modern meanings, referring to the rounded mammary glands and the broader chest area. Over time, its application extended metaphorically to the seat of emotion and thought, and as a verb, to the act of confronting an obstacle head-on, as if meeting it with one's chest.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Old English origin. The root is the Old English noun 'brēost', which referred to the chest, bosom, or mind/spirit. It functions as a core, unanalyzable lexical unit in modern English.
Examples
The mother gently nursed her infant at her breast.
He felt a sharp pain in his breast and struggled to breathe.
The conservationist had to breast strong winds during the field survey.