Etymology Map
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Bread

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means food made of baked flour, water and yeast

Where does the word "bread" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic brauþą, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
brauþą
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"bread"
probably from a root meaning to brew or leaven, like 'brew'
2
Stage 2 of 3
brēad
Old English · 700s-1000s
"morsel, bread"
first meant a piece or morsel; the usual word for bread was 'hlāf', loaf
3
Stage 3 of 3
bread
English · 1500s
"bread"
'breadwinner' dates from the 1810s
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Read the full story

Bread’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: brauþą meant “bread.” Probably from a root meaning to brew or leaven, like 'brew'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as brēad. First meant a piece or morsel; the usual word for bread was 'hlāf', loaf. It reached English by 1500s as bread. 'breadwinner' dates from the 1810s. Today, bread means food made of baked flour, water and yeast.