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Webster 1913 Edition

Breast

Breast

(brĕst)
,
Noun.
[OE.
brest
,
breost
, As.
breóst
; akin to Icel.
brjōst
, Sw.
bröst
, Dan.
bryst
, Goth.
brusts
, OS.
briost
, D.
borst
, G.
brust
.]
1.
The fore part of the body, between the neck and the belly; the chest;
as, the
breast
of a man or of a horse
.
2.
Either one of the protuberant glands, situated on the front of the chest or thorax in the female of man and of some other mammalia, in which milk is secreted for the nourishment of the young; a mamma; a teat.
My brother, that sucked the
breasts
of my mother.
Cant. viii. 1.
3.
Anything resembling the human breast, or bosom; the front or forward part of anything;
as, a chimney
breast
; a plow
breast
; the
breast
of a hill
.
Mountains on whose barren
breast

The laboring clouds do often rest.
Milton.
4.
(Mining)
(a)
The face of a coal working.
(b)
The front of a furnace.
5.
The seat of consciousness; the repository of thought and self-consciousness, or of secrets; the seat of the affections and passions; the heart.
He has a loyal
breast
.
Shakespeare
6.
The power of singing; a musical voice; – so called, probably, from the connection of the voice with the lungs, which lie within the breast.
[Obs.]
By my troth, the fool has an excellent
breast
.
Shakespeare
Breast drill
,
a portable drilling machine, provided with a breastplate, for forcing the drill against the work.
–
Breast pang
.
See
Angina pectoris
, under
Angina
.
–
To make a clean breast
,
to disclose the secrets which weigh upon one; to make full confession.

Breast

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Breasted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Breasting
.]
To meet, with the breast; to struggle with or oppose manfully;
as, to
breast
the storm or waves
.
The court
breasted
the popular current by sustaining the demurrer.
Wirt.
To breast up a hedge
,
to cut the face of it on one side so as to lay bare the principal upright stems of the plants.
{

Brest

,

Breast

}
,
Noun.
(Arch.)
A torus.
[Obs.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Breast

BREAST

,
Noun.
brest.
1.
The soft, protuberant body, adhering to the thorax, which, in females, furnishes milk for infants.
His breasts are full of milk. Job.21.24.
2.
The fore part of the thorax, or the fore part of the human body between the neck and the belly.
3.
The part of a breast which answers to the breast in man. This, in quadrupeds, is between the fore legs, below the neck.
4.
Figuratively, the heart; the conscience; the disposition of the mind; the affections;the seat of the affections and passions.
5.
Formerly,the power of singing.

BREAST

,
Verb.
T.
brest. To meet in front; to oppose breast to breast.

Definition 2024

breast

breast

English

Noun

breast ‎(plural breasts)

A breast
  1. Either of the two organs on the front of a woman's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in men.
    Tanya's breasts grew alarmingly during pregnancy.
  2. The chest, or front of the human thorax.
    • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
      The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon.
  3. A section of clothing covering the breast area.
  4. The figurative seat of the emotions, feelings etc.; one's heart or innermost thoughts.
    She kindled hope in the breast of all who heard her.
    • Shakespeare
      He has a loyal breast.
  5. The ventral portion of an animal's thorax.
    The robin has a red breast.
  6. 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.
    Would you like breast or wing?
  7. The front or forward part of anything.
    a chimney breast; a plough breast
    • Milton
      Mountains on whose barren breast / The labouring clouds do often rest.
    • 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 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 chimney breasts.
  8. (mining) The face of a coal working.
  9. (mining) The front of a furnace.
  10. (obsolete) The power of singing; a musical voice.
    • Shakespeare
      By my troth, the fool has an excellent breast.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

breast ‎(third-person singular simple present breasts, present participle breasting, simple past and past participle breasted)

  1. (transitive) To push against with the breast; to meet full on, to oppose, to face.
    He breasted the hill and saw the town before him.
    • Wirt
      The court breasted the popular current by sustaining the demurrer.

Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English brest, from Old English brēost, 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.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /brɛst/
  • Rhymes: -ɛst
  • Homophone: Brest

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