# bridge
## English
### Alternative forms

* bridg (obsolete)
* brigge (obsolete, etymology 1, noun)

### Pronunciation

* enPR: brĭj, IPA: /bɹɪd͡ʒ/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪdʒ

### Etymology 1

From Middle English brigge, from Old English brycġ (“bridge”), from Proto-Germanic *brugjō, *brugjǭ (“bridge”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerw-, *bʰrēw- (“wooden flooring, decking, bridge”).
Cognate with Scots brig, brigg, breeg (“bridge”), Saterland Frisian Brääch (“bridge”), West Frisian brêge (“bridge”), Dutch brug (“bridge”), German Brücke (“bridge”), Danish brygge (“wharf”), Icelandic brygga (“pier”), Gaulish briua (“bridge”).
The verb is from Middle English briggen, from Old English brycġian (“to bridge, make a causeway, pave”), derived from the noun. Cognate with Dutch bruggen (“to bridge”), Middle Low German bruggen (“to bridge”), Old High German bruccōn (“to bridge”) (whence Modern German brücken).
The musical connection sense is a semantic loan from German Steg, from Old High German steg.

#### Noun

bridge (plural bridges)
* A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.
** A construction spanning a waterway, ravine, or valley from an elevated height, allowing for the passage of vehicles, pedestrians, trains, etc.
    The rope bridge crosses the river.
    It was a beautiful view from the Brooklyn Bridge.
*** 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet: or anon we shot into a clearing, with a colored glimpse of the lake and its curving shore far below us.
*** 2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28:Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
** (anatomy) The upper bony ridge of the human nose.
    Rugby players often break the bridge of their noses.
** (dentistry) A prosthesis replacing one or several adjacent teeth.
    The dentist pulled out the decayed tooth and put in a bridge.
** (bowling) The gap between the holes on a bowling ball
* An arch or superstructure.
** (nautical) An elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.
    The first officer is on the bridge.
** (music, lutherie) The piece, on string instruments, that supports the strings from the sounding board.
** (billiards, snooker, pool) A particular form of one hand placed on the table to support the cue when making a shot in cue sports.
** (billiards, snooker, pool) A cue modified with a convex arch-shaped notched head attached to the narrow end, used to support a player's (shooter's) cue for extended or tedious shots. Also called a spider.
** Anything supported at the ends and serving to keep some other thing from resting upon the object spanned, as in engraving, watchmaking, etc., or which forms a platform or staging over which something passes or is conveyed.
** (wrestling) A defensive position in which the wrestler is supported by his feet and head, belly-up, in order to prevent touch-down of the shoulders and eventually to dislodge an opponent who has established a position on top.
** (gymnastics) A similar position in gymnastics.
* A connection, real or abstract.
** 1964, Harry S. Truman, 0:18 from the start, in MP2002-479 Former President Truman Recalls Negotiating With DeGaulle and France after WWII‎, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162:Yes, France is geographically situated in a key position so far as Western Europe is concerned. They are really the bridge between Germany, Spain and Italy. And it was necessary to have a NATO organization that was unified and France was a necessary member of that organization.
** (medicine) A rudimentary procedure before definite solution
    ECMO is used as a bridge to surgery to stabilize the patient.
** (computing) A device which connects two or more computer buses, typically in a transparent manner.
    This chip is the bridge between the front-side bus and the I/O bus.
** (programming) A software component connecting two or more separate systems.
*** 2011, Thord Daniel Hedengren, Smashing WordPress Themes: Making WordPress Beautiful:The plugin also acts as a bridge with BuddyPress and adds things like the top admin bar, and so on.
** (networking) A system which connects two or more local area networks at layer 2 of OSI model.
    The LAN bridge uses a spanning tree algorithm.
** (physical chemistry) An intramolecular valence bond, atom or chain of atoms that connects two different parts of a molecule; the atoms so connected being bridgeheads.
** (electronics) An unintended solder connection between two or more components or pins.
** (music) A contrasting section within a song that prepares for the return of the original material section.
    The lyrics in the song's bridge inverted its meaning.
    In the bridge of his 2011 song "It Will Rain", Bruno Mars begs his lover not to "say goodbye."
** (graph theory) An edge which, if removed, changes a connected graph to one that is not connected.
** (poetry) A point in a line where a break in a word unit cannot occur.
** (diplomacy) A statement, such as an offer, that signals a possibility of accord.
** A day falling between two public holidays and consequently designated as an additional holiday.
** (biology) In turtles, the connection between the plastron and the carapace.
* (electronics) Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit
* A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace, for deflecting flame, etc.; a bridge wall.
* (cycling) The situation where a lone rider or small group of riders closes the space between them and the rider or group in front.
* A solid crust of undissolved salt in a water softener.
* (roller derby) An elongated chain of teammates, connected to the pack, for improved blocking potential.
* (card games) A form of cheating by which a card is cut by previously curving it by pressure of the hand.

##### Derived terms

* a bridge too far
* Acton Bridge
* aerobridge
* airbridge
* air bridge
* Apperley Bridge
* Appley Bridge
* arch bridge
* Armitage Bridge
* auction bridge
* Avonbridge
* Bailey bridge
* Ballsbridge
* Bamber Bridge
* Banbridge
* Barton and Pooley Bridge
* bascule bridge
* Bason Bridge
* Beitbridge
* bicycle bridge
* Biffin's bridge
* bikini bridge
* Blythe Bridge
* Bonar Bridge
* Boroughbridge
* bowstring bridge
* bridgable
* bridgeable
* bridge-and-tunnel
* bridge and tunnel
* bridge-and-tunneler
* bridgeboard
* bridge-builder
* bridgebuilding
* bridge bunny
* bridge coat
* Bridge End, Bridgend
* Bridgeford
* Bridgegate
* bridgekeeper
* bridgeless
* bridgelike
* bridgeline
* bridge loan
* bridgemaster
* bridge mount
* bridgeness
* Bridge of Allan
* Bridge of Cally
* Bridge of Don
* Bridge of Dun
* Bridge of Earn
* Bridge of Gairn
* bridge of no return
* Bridge of Orchy
* Bridge of Weir
* bridge over troubled waters
* bridge pattern
* bridge plug
* Bridger
* bridger
* bridge railing
* bridge roll
* bridge route
* bridge spider
* bridge strike
* bridge swallow
* bridgetender
* bridge the gap
* Bridgetown
* bridgetree
* bridgeward
* bridge-ward
* bridgewards
* Bridgewater
* bridge whist
* bridgewire
* bridge wire
* bridgework
* bridgey
* brouter
* build a bridge and get over it
* build bridges
* Buridan's bridge
* Burn Bridge
* burn one's bridges
* burn that bridge when one comes to it
* Burscough Bridge
* bus bridge
* cable-stayed bridge
* Cameron Bridge
* Carronbridge
* catenary bridge
* Catterick Bridge
* Central Bridge
* chain bridge
* clapper bridge
* Clayton Bridge
* Conon Bridge
* contract bridge
* covered bridge
* Cowan Bridge
* cross a bridge before one comes to it
* crossbridge
* cross that bridge when one comes to it
* cross that bridge when one gets there
* cross that bridge when one gets to it
* cyberbridge
* deck bridge
* Devil's Bridge
* disulfide bridge
* drawbridge
* draw-bridge
* draw bridge
* duckboard bridge
* Dunbridge
* Dunford Bridge
* Dunsop Bridge
* duplicate bridge
* Egton Bridge
* Einstein-Rosen bridge
* ER bridge
* Ewood Bridge
* Fenny Bridges
* floating bridge
* flybridge
* flying bridge
* footbridge
* forebridge
* fore-bridge
* frame bridge
* glute bridge
* Gorebridge
* Great Bridge
* green bridge
* Greta Bridge
* Guide Bridge
* hand bridge
* Haydon Bridge
* Heap Bridge
* Hebden Bridge
* Helwith Bridge
* hoist bridge
* Horns Bridge
* hose bridge
* Hubberts Bridge
* humpback bridge
* Hunton Bridge
* ice bridge
* if someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it
* I have a bridge to sell you
* Ironbridge
* Islandbridge
* Ivybridge
* jet bridge
* Kelvin bridge
* Kerne Bridge
* land bridge
* lattice bridge
* Lea Bridge
* leaf bridge
* leg bridge
* London Bridge
* low bridge
* Mabey bridge
* Maguiresbridge
* Malin Bridge
* Marple Bridge
* Maryland bridge
* Maxwell bridge
* media bridge
* Menai Bridge
* microbridge
* monkey bridge
* movable bridge
* multibridge
* Murray Bridge
* Murray bridge
* Murray loop bridge
* Mylor Bridge
* nanobridge
* Nethy Bridge
* Newby Bridge
* Newnham Bridge
* nonbridge
* northbridge
* Norton Bridge
* nose bridge
* oblique bridge
* occupation bridge
* Oresund Bridge
* Öresund Bridge
* Øresund Bridge
* overbridge
* over bridge
* overhead bridge restaurant
* packhorse bridge
* paint bridge
* Park Bridge
* Pateley Bridge
* pivot bridge
* platform bridge
* pontoon bridge
* Pooley Bridge
* Pye Bridge
* rainbow bridge
* rebridge
* Redbridge
* road bridge, roadbridge
* rope bridge
* royal auction bridge
* Roybridge, Roy Bridge
* rubber bridge
* Rumbling Bridge
* salt bridge
* Sankey Bridges
* Schering bridge
* Sennybridge
* Shotley Bridge
* signal bridge
* Skelwith Bridge
* skew bridge
* skybridge
* sleep under the same bridge
* Smithy Bridge
* snow bridge
* southbridge
* Sowerby Bridge
* space bridge
* Spean Bridge
* speedbridge
* Spences Bridge
* Stalybridge
* Stamford Bridge
* Stanford Bridge
* Steen's Bridge
* Stonebridge
* Stourbridge
* straight bridge
* Sunderland Bridge
* suspension bridge
* Sutton Bridge
* swing bridge, swingbridge
* Teignbridge
* telebridge
* Three Bridges
* through bridge
* toll bridge
* Tower Bridge
* transporter bridge
* trestle bridge
* truss bridge
* unbridgeable
* underbridge
* vertical-lift bridge
* Victoria Bridge
* Vierendeel bridge
* Wadebridge
* Wadsley Bridge
* water bridge
* water under the bridge
* weighbridge
* Wentbridge
* Weybridge
* Whaley Bridge
* Wheatstone bridge
* Wien bridge
* wildlife bridge
* wire bridge
* Wisemans Bridge
* Witton Bridge
* Wootton Bridge

##### Translations
#### Verb

bridge (third-person singular simple present bridges, present participle bridging, simple past and past participle bridged)
* To be or make a bridge over something.
    With enough cable, we can bridge this gorge.
** 1947 January and February, H. A. Vallance, “The Sea Wall at Dawlish”, in Railway Magazine, page 18:On this occasion, the damage was far more serious. The sea wall was breached completely for a distance of over 50 yd., and the gap had to be bridged by a temporary timber viaduct.
* To span as if with a bridge.
    The two groups were able to bridge their differences.
** 2012, Christoper Zara, Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds, part 1, chapter 1, 28:The brooding, black-clad singer bridged a stark divide that emerged in the recording industry in the 1950s, as post-Elvis pop singers diverged into two camps and audiences aligned themselves with either the sideburned rebels of rock 'n' roll or the cowboy-hatted twangsters of country music.
* (music) To transition from one piece or section of music to another without stopping.
    We need to bridge that jam into "The Eleven".
* (computing, communication) To connect two or more computer buses, networks etc. with a bridge.
* (wrestling) To go to the bridge position.
* (roller derby) To employ the bridge tactic. (See Noun section.)

##### Derived terms

* bridge up
* bridging ligand
* bridging loan
* bridging visa

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From the earlier game biritch, probably from Russian бирю́ч (birjúč) or бири́ч (biríč); else from Turkish bir-üç (“one-three”).

#### Noun

bridge (uncountable)
* (card games) A card game played with four players playing as two teams of two players each.
    Bidding is an essential element of the game of bridge.

##### Translations
#### References

* ↑ "bridge." *OED 2nd edition. 1989. (online)
* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “bridge”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* BIRGed, begird

## Basque
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge ?
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge m (plural bridges)
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Danish
### Etymology

From English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /britsj/, [ˈb̥ʁid̥ɕ]

### Noun

bridge c (singular definite bridgen, not used in plural form)
* bridge (a card game)

#### Declension
## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /brɪdʒ/ (/r/ may be realised as [ɹ])
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: bridge

### Noun

bridge n (uncountable)
* bridge (card game)

#### Derived terms

* bridgeclub
* bridgen

#### Related terms

* brug

## Faroese
### Etymology

From English bridge.

### Noun

bridge ?
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Finnish
### Etymology

From English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbridɡe/, [ˈbridɡe̞]
* IPA: /ˈbridʒ/, [ˈbridʒ]
* Rhymes: -idɡe
* Hyphenation: brid‧ge

### Noun

bridge
* (card games) bridge

#### Declension

Possessive forms of bridge (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bridgeni
bridgeni
accusative
nom.
bridgeni
bridgeni
gen.
bridgeni
genitive
bridgeni
bridgejeni bridgeini $^{rare}$
partitive
bridgeäni
bridgejäni
inessive
bridgessäni
bridgeissäni
elative
bridgestäni
bridgeistäni
illative
bridgeeni
bridgeihini
adessive
bridgelläni
bridgeilläni
ablative
bridgeltäni
bridgeiltäni
allative
bridgelleni
bridgeilleni
essive
bridgenäni
bridgeinäni
translative
bridgekseni
bridgeikseni
abessive
bridgettäni
bridgeittäni
instructive
comitative
—bridgeineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bridgesi
bridgesi
accusative
nom.
bridgesi
bridgesi
gen.
bridgesi
genitive
bridgesi
bridgejesi bridgeisi $^{rare}$
partitive
bridgeäsi
bridgejäsi
inessive
bridgessäsi
bridgeissäsi
elative
bridgestäsi
bridgeistäsi
illative
bridgeesi
bridgeihisi
adessive
bridgelläsi
bridgeilläsi
ablative
bridgeltäsi
bridgeiltäsi
allative
bridgellesi
bridgeillesi
essive
bridgenäsi
bridgeinäsi
translative
bridgeksesi
bridgeiksesi
abessive
bridgettäsi
bridgeittäsi
instructive
comitative
—bridgeinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bridgemme
bridgemme
accusative
nom.
bridgemme
bridgemme
gen.
bridgemme
genitive
bridgemme
bridgejemme bridgeimme $^{rare}$
partitive
bridgeämme
bridgejämme
inessive
bridgessämme
bridgeissämme
elative
bridgestämme
bridgeistämme
illative
bridgeemme
bridgeihimme
adessive
bridgellämme
bridgeillämme
ablative
bridgeltämme
bridgeiltämme
allative
bridgellemme
bridgeillemme
essive
bridgenämme
bridgeinämme
translative
bridgeksemme
bridgeiksemme
abessive
bridgettämme
bridgeittämme
instructive
comitative
—bridgeinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bridgenne
bridgenne
accusative
nom.
bridgenne
bridgenne
gen.
bridgenne
genitive
bridgenne
bridgejenne bridgeinne $^{rare}$
partitive
bridgeänne
bridgejänne
inessive
bridgessänne
bridgeissänne
elative
bridgestänne
bridgeistänne
illative
bridgeenne
bridgeihinne
adessive
bridgellänne
bridgeillänne
ablative
bridgeltänne
bridgeiltänne
allative
bridgellenne
bridgeillenne
essive
bridgenänne
bridgeinänne
translative
bridgeksenne
bridgeiksenne
abessive
bridgettänne
bridgeittänne
instructive
comitative
—bridgeinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
bridgensä
bridgensä
accusative
nom.
bridgensä
bridgensä
gen.
bridgensä
genitive
bridgensä
bridgejensä bridgeinsä $^{rare}$
partitive
bridgeään bridgeänsä
bridgejään bridgejänsä
inessive
bridgessään bridgessänsä
bridgeissään bridgeissänsä
elative
bridgestään bridgestänsä
bridgeistään bridgeistänsä
illative
bridgeensä
bridgeihinsä
adessive
bridgellään bridgellänsä
bridgeillään bridgeillänsä
ablative
bridgeltään bridgeltänsä
bridgeiltään bridgeiltänsä
allative
bridgelleen bridgellensä
bridgeilleen bridgeillensä
essive
bridgenään bridgenänsä
bridgeinään bridgeinänsä
translative
bridgekseen bridgeksensä
bridgeikseen bridgeiksensä
abessive
bridgettään bridgettänsä
bridgeittään bridgeittänsä
instructive
comitative
—bridgeineen bridgeinensä :

#### Derived terms

* sitoumusbridge

### Further reading

* “bridge”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## French
### Etymology

From English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bʁidʒ/

### Noun

bridge m (uncountable)
* (card games) bridge
* (dentistry, France) bridge
    Synonym: (Canada) pont

### Further reading

* “bridge”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Indonesian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge (plural bridge-bridge)
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Italian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbrid͡ʒ/
* Rhymes: -idʒ

### Noun

bridge m (invariable)
* (card games) bridge (card game)

#### Derived terms

* bridgista
* bridgistico

### References

* ↑ bridge in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Limburgish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge ?
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From English bridge.

### Noun

bridge m (definite singular bridgen, uncountable)
* bridge (card game)

### References

* “bridge” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

From English bridge.

### Noun

bridge m (definite singular bridgen, uncountable)
* (card games) bridge

### References

* “bridge” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈbɾi.d͡ʒi/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈbɾi.d͡ʒi/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈbɾi.d͡ʒe/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈbɾi.d͡ʒɨ/ [ˈbɾi.ðʒɨ]

### Noun

bridge m (uncountable)
* (card games) bridge

## Romanian
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge n (plural bridge-uri)
* (card games) bridge (card game)
* a game of bridge

#### Declension
## Saterland Frisian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge ? (plural [please provide])
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Sicilian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Noun

bridge ?
* (card games) bridge (card game)

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbɾit͡ʃ/ [ˈbɾit͡ʃ]
* Rhymes: -itʃ

### Noun

bridge m (uncountable)
* (card games) bridge (card game)

### Further reading

* “bridge”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Etymology

From English.

### Noun

bridge c
* (card games) bridge (card game)

#### Derived terms

* bridgekväll
* bridgespelare
* bridgetävling

## Welsh
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bridge.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /brɪd͡ʒ/

### Noun

bridge m
* (card games) bridge (card game)