English
breadth
Breadth comes from Middle English bredthe, and goes back to brede.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brede
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500bredthe
- Englishearliest quotation 1873breadth
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brede
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500bredthe
- Englishearliest quotation 1873breadth
Earliest quotation: 1873, Charles Tomlinson, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge: “The sledges of the Esquimaux are of large size,…”
Formed from broad + -th
Proto-Germanic *braidaz ‘broad’
Proto-West Germanic *braid ‘broad’
Old English brād ‘broad’
Middle English brood
English broad
The story
From Middle English bredthe, alteration (due to nouns ending in -th: length, strength, wrength, etc.) of brede ("breadth"; see bread).
Linked words
through Middle English brede
Today it means
noun The extent or measure of how broad or wide something is; width.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English brede / breadth