• brest(obsolete)

FromMiddle Englishbrest, fromOld Englishbrēost, fromProto-West Germanic*breust, fromProto-Germanic*breustą, fromProto-Indo-European*bʰrews-(“to swell”). CompareWest Frisianboarst,Danishbryst,Swedishbröst; cf. alsoDutchborst,GermanBrust.

• enPR:brĕst,IPA^(key):/bɹɛst/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɛst
• Homophone:Brest

breast (pluralbreasts)

2. (anatomy) Either of the twoorgans on thefront of afemalehuman'schest, whichcontain themammary glands; also theanalogous organs inmales.

   Tanya’sbreasts grew remarkably during pregnancy.

   • 2023 July 21, Amanda Musa, “The FDA approved the US’ first over-the-counter birth control pill. What happens next?”, inCNN‎^[1]:

     Amies Oelschlager said in a statement that oral contraceptives that contain estrogen may cause side effects such as headaches, nausea, andbreast tenderness.

3. (anatomy) Thechest, or front of the human thorax.
   • 1798,Samuel Taylor Coleridge,The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:

     The Wedding-Guest here beat hisbreast, / For he heard the loud bassoon.

4. A section of clothing covering the breast area.
   • 1956,Anthony Burgess,Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published1972, page45:

     By the time he reached the War Memorial damp had soaked through thebreasts of his shirt.

5. The figurative seat of theemotions,feelings etc.; one’s heart or innermost thoughts.

   She kindled hope in thebreast of all who heard her.

   • 1613 (date written),William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act III, scene ii]:

     He has a loyalbreast.

   • 1610–1611 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene ii]:

     […]Thou best know’st
     What torment I did find thee in. Thy groans
     Did make wolves howl, and penetrate thebreasts
     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.

   • 1697,[William] Congreve,The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London:[…]Jacob Tonson, […],→OCLC, Act I,page 1:

     Muſick has Charms to ſooth a ſavageBreaſt, / To ſoften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.

6. Theventral portion of an animal’sthorax.

   The robin has a redbreast.

7. A choice cut ofpoultry, especiallychicken orturkey, taken from the bird’s breast; also a cut of meat from other animals, breast ofmutton,veal,pork.

   Would you likebreast or wing?

9. The front or forward part of anything.

   chimneybreast

   ploughbreast

   • 2015 April 7, Jeff Howell, “The secret of longer lasting tiles [print version: How to avoid cracking up, 4 April 2015, p. P7]”, inThe Daily Telegraph (Property)‎^[2], archived fromthe original on22 April 2015:

     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 chimneybreasts.

10. Theuppersurface of alandform orbody of water.
    • a.1645,John Milton, “L’Allegro”, inPoems of Mr. John Milton, […], London:[…] Ruth Raworth forHumphrey Mosely, […], published1646,→OCLC:

      Mountains on whose barrenbreast / The labouring clouds do often rest.

    • 1865,Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, inSequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:

      […] In the distance the flowing glaze, thebreast of the river, with a wind-dapple here and there,[…]

11. (mining) The face of a coal working.
12. (mining) The front of a furnace.
13. (obsolete) The power of singing; a musical voice.
    • c.1601–1602 (date written),William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act II, scene iii]:

      By my troth, the fool has an excellentbreast.

14. (swimming) Thebreaststroke.

• (female organs): See alsoThesaurus:breasts
• (chest):chest
• (seat of emotions):heart,soul
• (cut of poultry):white meat
• (cut of meat):brisket

• (antonym(s) of“cut of poultry”):thigh,wing,dark meat

breast (third-person singular simple presentbreasts,present participlebreasting,simple past and past participlebreasted)

1. (transitive, oftenfigurative) Topush against with thebreast; tomeetfull on,oppose,face.
   • 1817, William Wirt,Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry‎^[3], page22:

     […]when the court, very much to the credit of their candour and firmness,breasted the popular current by sustaining the demurrer.

2. To reach the top (of a hill).

   Hebreasted the hill and saw the town before him.

   • 1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, inRailway Magazine, page 8:

     With the sea below us grey and storm swept, and the coast line vague in the driving rain, we forged our way up the bank tobreast the summit at 37 m.p.h.

   • 1960 March, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, inTrains Illustrated, page178:

     But this was excelled by the remarkable feat ofIron Duke, on the second run, in accelerating from a dead start at Miller's Dale up 1 in 90 to no less than 53 m.p.h. beforebreasting the summit at Peak Forest.

3. (transitive,cooking) Todebreast.
   • 2005,Texas Judicial Cookbook: Hello There!:

     Breast the birds; wash and dry well. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the birds in a roasting pan.

• Baster,Be star,Sterba,Tarbes,abrest,barest,baster,bestar,rebats,tabers

• briost

Frombeir as(“carry off”); the-t isexcrescent (comparearíst fromarís).

• (Ulster)IPA^(key):/bʲɾʲɨ̞sˠt̪ˠ/^[1](corresponds to the formbriost)

breast

1. expresses disapproval or contempt(generally followed by adisjunctive pronoun)

   Breast thú! ―Up yours!

   Breast seo! ―Screw this!

   Breast í! ―The hell with her!

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “breast”, inFoclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “breast”, inFoclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm,→ISBN