English word origin

Etymology of braze

From Middle English brasen, from Old English brasian, bræsian (“to cover with brass”), from bræs (“brass”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To cover with brass, or as with brass.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English brasen, from Old English brasian, bræsian (“to cover with brass”), from bræs (“brass”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionbrasenenm
Inherited-form mentionbrasianang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "brasen",
        "id": "to cover with brass"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English brasen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "brasian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English brasian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "brasen",
      "brasen#Middle_English:_to_cover_with_brass"
    ],
    [
      "brasian",
      "brasian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bræsian",
      "bræsian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bræs",
      "bræs#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A kind of small charcoal used for roasting ore.

verb

To join two metal pieces, without melting them, using heat and diffusion of a jointing alloy of capillary thickness. · To burn or temper in fire.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

1580s, "to expose to the action of fire", perhaps from French braser (“to solder, weld”), though the sense evolution is difficult to explain. Perhaps the English word is older, being unrecorded in Middle English but borrowed from Old French braser (“to burn”), which fits the meaning more closely. Old French braser derives from Old Norse brasa (“to braze, harden with fire”). Also possible is that the Middle English and English words were borrowed directly from Old Norse.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionbraserfr · to solder, weld
Derivation mentionbraserfro · to burn
Cognate mentionbraserfro
Derivation mentionbrasanon · to braze, harden with fire

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "braser",
        "t": "to solder, weld"
      },
      "expansion": "French braser (“to solder, weld”)"
    },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "2": "braser"
      },
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "brasa",
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      },
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for braze →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YnJhemU