Brickwork
/ˈbrɪk.wɜːk/noun
Masonry made of bricks; the way bricks are laid or arranged in a structure.
Did you know?The first part, brick, ultimately comes from a Germanic word for a broken piece or fragment, while work comes from an ancient root for doing or making—so the word is basically about *made fragments* becoming structure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰreg-
“to break, fracture”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*werg-
“to do, make, work”
Old English
OE
bryċe
“a brick; a baked clay block”
Old English
OE
weorc
“work, deed, something made”
Middle English
ME
brikwerk
“brick construction or masonry”
Modern English
English
brickwork
“brick masonry or the arrangement of bricks in a structure”