verb

brechen

break

Etwas in zwei oder mehr Teile teilen, oft mit Kraft, sodass es nicht mehr ganz ist.

Definition & meaning

The verb brechen is a versatile German word that primarily refers to the act of breaking or shattering. It is used in several distinct contexts:

Physical destruction: To cause an object to separate into two or more pieces through force or pressure, such as breaking a stick or a bone. It can also describe the act of something snapping on its own.
Physical health: It is a common term for vomiting or throwing up. In this context, it describes the involuntary expulsion of stomach contents.
Physics: It refers to the refraction of light, sound, or waves when they pass through different mediums (e.g., light breaking in a prism).
Abstract/Legal: To violate or fail to keep a rule, a law, a promise, or a contract.
Nature: It can describe the sudden appearance or movement of things, such as light "breaking" through clouds or waves "breaking" on the shore.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: Brechen is a strong (irregular) verb. Its principal parts are:

Präsens: ich breche, du brichst, er/sie/es bricht
Präteritum: brach
Perfekt: hat gebrochen (transitive/vomiting) / ist gebrochen (intransitive/state change)

When used to mean "to vomit," it can be used intransitively (e.g., "er muss brechen"). When referring to breaking an object, it can be transitive ("er bricht das Holz") or intransitive ("das Eis bricht").

Word origin: The word descends from the Old High German brehhan. It is cognate with the English word "break" and the Dutch word "breken." It stems from the Proto-Indo-European root bhreg-, which means to shatter or crack.