Barst
/bɑːrst/noun
An obsolete or dialectal past tense of “burst.”
Did you know?“Barst” reflects an older Germanic pattern in which vowel changes marked past tense, long before standardized modern English settled on “burst.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰres-
“To break, shatter, or burst apart”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brestaną
“To burst or break open”
Old English
Old English
berstan; bærs(t)
“To burst; an older past-tense form involving vowel change”
Middle English
Middle English
barst
“Burst; broke open, used as a past-tense form”
Modern English
English
barst
“An obsolete or dialectal past tense of “burst””