berstan

From Proto-West Germanic *brestan (with e-r metathesis in West Germanic), from Proto-Germanic *brestaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰres- (“to burst, break, crack, split, separate”).

Cognate with Old Frisian bersta (West Frisian boarste), Old Saxon brestan (Low German basten), Dutch bersten, barsten, Old High German brestan German bersten), Old Norse bresta (Danish briste, Norwegian Bokmål briste, Swedish brista).

• IPA^(key): /ˈber.stɑn/, [ˈberˠ.stɑn]

berstan

1. to break, shatter, burst
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, Lives of Saints

     Æfter þisum ġebede, bærst ūt of heofonum swȳþe fǣrlīċ fȳr and forbernde þæt templ, and ealle þā godas grundlunga suncon intō þǣre eorþan, and ne ætēowdon siþþan.

     After this prayer, a very sudden fire burst out of the heavens and burned up the temple, and all the gods sunk completely into the earth, and have not appeared since.

• forberstan
• tōberstan

• Middle English: bresten, bersten
  • English: burst, bust
  • Scots: brist, bryst