# breken
## Dutch
### Etymology

From Middle Dutch brēken, from Old Dutch *brecan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbreːkə(n)/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: bre‧ken
* Rhymes: -eːkən

### Verb

breken
* (ergative) to break

#### Derived terms

* aanbreken
* afbreken
* beenbreek
* binnenbreken
* breekal
* breekbaar
* breekijzer
* breekpunt
* breekvasten
* brekebeen
* breking
* de hel breekt los
* doorbreken
* echtbreker
* een lans breken
* hersenbreker
* het ijs breken
* ijsbreker
* inbreken
* lichtbreking
* losbreken
* nou breekt mijn klomp
* onderbreken
* ontbreken
* opbreken
* openbreken
* schokbreker
* steenbreek
* stukbreken
* uitbreken
* verbreken
* wegbreken

#### Related terms

* braak
* breuk
* inbraak

#### Descendants

* Afrikaans: breek
* Berbice Creole Dutch: breke
* Negerhollands: breek

### Anagrams

* berken

## Low German
### Alternative forms

* bräken
* briäken
* braeken, breaken, brekken (New Saxon Spelling)

### Etymology

From Middle Low German brēken, from Old Saxon brekan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-. Cognate to Plautdietsch bräken, Dutch breken, German brechen, West Frisian brekke, English break, Danish brække.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [breːkⁿŋ̩]

### Verb

breken (third-person singular simple present brickt, past tense brook, past participle braken, auxiliary verb hebben)
* to break

#### Conjugation
## Middle Dutch
### Etymology

From Old Dutch *brecan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-.

### Verb

brēken
* to break, to break into pieces
* to break, to be broken
* to destroy
* to break in
* to end, to diminish, to weaken
* to break, to overcome resistance, to subdue

#### Derived terms

* gebrēken
* misbrēken
* ontbrēken
* tebrēken
* verbrēken

#### Descendants

* Dutch: breken
* Limburgish: braeke

### Further reading

* “breken (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “breken”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* breoken, braken

### Etymology

From Old English brecan, from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną. Doublet of brayen (“to break up”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbrɛːkən/

### Verb

breken
* to break

#### Conjugation

| infinitive | (to) breken, breke | (to) breken, breke |
| | present tense | past tense |
| 1st-person singular | breke | brak, brek |
| 2nd-person singular | brekest | breke, brake, brak, brek |
| 3rd-person singular | breketh | brak, brek |
| subjunctive singular | breke | breke$^1$, brake$^1$ |
| imperative singular | breke | — |
| plural$^2$ | breken, breke | breken, breke, braken, brake |
| imperative plural | breketh, breke | — |
| participles | brekynge, brekende | broken, broke, ybroken, ybroke |
$^1$Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English. $^2$Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

#### Derived terms

* breker

#### Descendants

* English: break
* Scots: breke, brick, brak
* Yola: brough, brocke, brek

#### References

* “brēken, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.