Bresten
/ˈbrɛstən/noun
An obsolete or Middle English verb meaning “to burst” or “break open.”
Did you know?Bresten belongs to the same old Germanic word family that produced modern English “burst,” preserving an earlier form of the idea of sudden rupture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰres-
“To break, crack, or burst apart; a reconstructed Indo-European root.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brestaną
“To burst or crack open.”
Old English
Old English
berstan
“To burst, break, or shatter.”
Middle English
Middle English
bresten
“To burst or break open; a regional or variant form.”
14th–15th Century
English
bresten
“An increasingly obsolete form alongside forms such as “bristen” and “bursten.””
Modern English
English
burst
“To break open or split suddenly, often from pressure.”