Birst
/bɜːrst/noun
A Scots and obsolete English form of “burst,” meaning to break open or explode suddenly.
Did you know?Birst belongs to the same ancient Germanic word family as “burst,” whose early forms described splitting, breaking, or exploding apart rather than merely making a loud noise.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰers-
“To break, split, or burst apart; a reconstructed Indo-European root.”
Old English
Old English
berstan
“To burst, break, or shatter.”
Middle English
Middle English
bersten
“To burst or break open.”
Middle English
Middle English
birsten
“A variant form meaning to burst or break apart.”
Scots
Scots
birst
“To burst; a dialectal or variant form of “burst.””
Modern English
English
birst
“An obsolete or dialectal spelling of “burst,” preserved especially in Scots usage.”