English
firebreak
From fire + break.
Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥
…
Proto-Germanic *fuïr
Proto-West Germanic *fuir
Old English fȳr ‘fire’
Middle English fyr
English fire
Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- ‘to break’
…
Proto-Germanic *brekaną ‘to break’
Proto-West Germanic *brekan ‘to break’
Old English brecan ‘to break’
Middle English breken ‘to break up or split’
English break
Today it means
noun An area cleared of all flammable material to prevent a fire from spreading across it.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / firebreak