breast
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: brĕst
ipa: /bɹɛst/
rhymes: -ɛst
homophone: Brest
Forms: form: breasts
form: brest
Etymology: From Middle English brest, from Old English brēost, from Proto-West Germanic *breust, from Proto-Germanic *breustą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell”). Compare West Frisian boarst, Danish bryst, Swedish bröst; cf. also Dutch borst, German Brust.
Senses: examples: text: Tanya’s breasts grew remarkably during pregnancy.
text: Biblical criteria of sexual seductiveness include a white skin, black hair, or henna-dyed, scarlet lips, a prominent nose, rosy temples, long straight neck, firm breasts, round thighs, an erect posture.
ref: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 219:
text: Amies Oelschlager said in a statement that oral contraceptives that contain estrogen may cause side effects such as headaches, nausea, and breast tenderness.
ref: 2023 July 21, Amanda Musa, “The FDA approved the US’ first over-the-counter birth control pill. What happens next?”, in CNN:
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: Either of the two organs on the front of a female human's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in males.
examples: text: The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, / For he heard the loud bassoon.
ref: 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: The chest, or front of the human thorax.
examples: text: By the time he reached the War Memorial damp had soaked through the breasts of his shirt.
ref: 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 45:
glosses: A section of clothing covering the breast area.
examples: text: She kindled hope in the breast of all who heard her.
text: He has a loyal breast.
ref: 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
text: […]Thou best know’st
What torment I did find thee in. Thy groans
Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breasts
Of ever-angry bears—it was a torment
To lay upon the damn’d, which Sycorax
Could not again undo. It was mine art,
When I arrived and heard thee, that made gape
The pine and let thee out.
ref: 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
text: Muſick has Charms to ſooth a ſavage Breaſt, / To ſoften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.
ref: 1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 1:
glosses: The figurative seat of the emotions, feelings etc.; one’s heart or innermost thoughts.
examples: text: The robin has a red breast.
glosses: The ventral portion of an animal’s thorax.
examples: text: Would you like breast or wing?
glosses: A choice cut of poultry, especially chicken or turkey, taken from the bird’s breast; also a cut of meat from other animals, breast of mutton, veal, pork.
examples: text: chimney breast
text: plough breast
text: If you burn wood on its own, the flue gases are cooler than from a coal fire. This can result in tars condensing out within the parging and brickwork of the flue, sometimes causing brown or yellow staining on upstairs chimney breasts.
ref: 2015 April 7, Jeff Howell, “The secret of longer lasting tiles [print version: How to avoid cracking up, 4 April 2015, p. P7]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property), archived from the original on 22 Apr 2015:
glosses: The front or forward part of anything.
examples: text: Mountains on whose barren breast / The labouring clouds do often rest.
ref: a. 1645, John Milton, “L’Allegro”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:
text: […] In the distance the flowing glaze, the breast of the river, with a wind-dapple here and there, […]
ref: 1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:
glosses: The upper surface of a landform or body of water.
topics: business
mining
glosses: The face of a coal working.
topics: business
mining
glosses: The front of a furnace.
examples: text: By my troth, the fool has an excellent breast.
ref: c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
glosses: The power of singing; a musical voice.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
swimming
glosses: The breaststroke.
Synonyms: sense: chest
word: chest
sense: seat of emotions
word: heart
sense: seat of emotions
word: soul
sense: cut of poultry
word: white meat
sense: cut of meat
word: brisket
Derived terms: abreast
bare one's breast
beat one's breast
bluebreast
Breastapo
breast augmentation
breastaurant
breastband
breastbeam
breast-beating
breast bone
breastbone
breast boobily
breast cancer
breast cleavage
breast down
breast drill
breast envy
breastfast
breast-fed
breastfeed
breast-feed
breast feed
breastfeeder
breast feeding
breastfeeding
breast flattening
breastflesh
breast form
breastful
breast girth
breastgirth
breast-girth
breasthook
breasticle
breastie
breast implant
breast ironing
breastknot
breastless
breastlift
breastlike
breast line
breastling
breast milk
breastmilk
breast mint
breast one's cards
breast pad
breast pang
breastpin
breastplate
breastplough
breast pocket
breastpoint
breast pump
breastrail
breast reduction
breastroke
breastrope
breast shell
breastshot
breast strap
breaststrap
breast-strap
breaststroke
breast the tape
breast torture
breast up
breast wall
breastwear
breastwheel
breastwork
breasty
bressummer
broken breast
chicken breast
chimney-breast
chimney breast
comedy breasts
forebreast
hope springs eternal in the human breast
make a clean breast
nonbreast
outbreast
Paget's disease of the breast
redbreast
robin-breast
specklebreast
triple-negative breast cancer
triple negative breast cancer
unbreast
velvetbreast
woody breast