"break bread" meaning in English

See break bread in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: breaks bread [present, singular, third-person], breaking bread [participle, present], broke bread [past], broken bread [participle, past]
Etymology: Under medieval conditions, guests brought their own knives worn with them, which were their daggers they hunted and gathered with, then only fit to cut meat. From the expression “break bread with friends” the ellipsis “break bread” implying community developed. Head templates: {{en-verb|break<,,broke,broken> bread}} break bread (third-person singular simple present breaks bread, present participle breaking bread, simple past broke bread, past participle broken bread)
  1. To eat a meal, especially to eat a shared meal with friends. Translations (eat a meal, especially shared): հաց կիսել (hacʿ kisel) (Armenian), հաց կտրել (hacʿ ktrel) (Armenian), 進餐 (Chinese Mandarin), 进餐 (jìncān) (Chinese Mandarin), bryde brød (Danish), het brood delen (Dutch), murtaa leipä (Finnish), rompre le pain (French), das Brot miteinander teilen (German), jeść razem [imperfective] (Polish), zjeść razem (Polish), comer em conjunto (Portuguese), раздели́ть хлеб-соль (razdelítʹ xleb-solʹ) (Russian), compartir el pan (Spanish), ekmeğini paylaşmak (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-break_bread-en-verb-6olLkQEm Disambiguation of 'eat a meal, especially shared': 90 10
  2. (Christianity) To take part in Holy Communion. Categories (topical): Christianity Translations (take part in Holy Communion): հաց կտրել (hacʿ ktrel) (Armenian), 擘餅 (Chinese Cantonese), 擘饼 (maak³ beng²) (Chinese Cantonese), 擘餅 (Chinese Mandarin), 擘饼 (bòbǐng) (Chinese Mandarin), het brood breken (Dutch), het brood delen (Dutch), murtaa leipä (Finnish), rompre le pain [masculine] (French), Brot brechen (German), łamać chleb [imperfective] (Polish), comungar (Portuguese), преломля́ть хлеб (prelomljátʹ xleb) (Russian), comulgar (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-break_bread-en-verb-zjIx~1IS Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English predicates, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 2 98 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 2 98 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 3 97 Disambiguation of English predicates: 24 76 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 3 97 Topics: Christianity Disambiguation of 'take part in Holy Communion': 0 100
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Categories (topical): Food and drink Derived forms: breaking of bread
Disambiguation of Food and drink: 0 0

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for break bread meaning in English (7.0kB)

{
  "categories": [
    {
      "_dis": "0 0",
      "kind": "topical",
      "langcode": "en",
      "name": "Food and drink",
      "orig": "en:Food and drink",
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        "Fundamental"
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      "source": "w+disamb"
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  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "breaking of bread"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Under medieval conditions, guests brought their own knives worn with them, which were their daggers they hunted and gathered with, then only fit to cut meat. From the expression “break bread with friends” the ellipsis “break bread” implying community developed.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "breaks bread",
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        "present",
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    {
      "form": "breaking bread",
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    {
      "form": "broke bread",
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        "past"
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      "form": "broken bread",
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "break<,,broke,broken> bread"
      },
      "expansion": "break bread (third-person singular simple present breaks bread, present participle breaking bread, simple past broke bread, past participle broken bread)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1879, Anthony Trollope, chapter 63, in John Caldigate",
          "text": "At last it was decided that he should take her, reaching the place about the hour of lunch, so that he might again break bread in her father's house.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To eat a meal, especially to eat a shared meal with friends."
      ],
      "id": "en-break_bread-en-verb-6olLkQEm",
      "links": [
        [
          "eat",
          "eat"
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        [
          "meal",
          "meal"
        ],
        [
          "shared",
          "shared"
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      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "hacʿ kisel",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "հաց կիսել"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "hacʿ ktrel",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
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        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "進餐"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jìncān",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "进餐"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "bryde brød"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "het brood delen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "murtaa leipä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "rompre le pain"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "das Brot miteinander teilen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "jeść razem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "zjeść razem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "comer em conjunto"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "razdelítʹ xleb-solʹ",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "раздели́ть хлеб-соль"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "compartir el pan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
          "word": "ekmeğini paylaşmak"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Christianity",
          "orig": "en:Christianity",
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            "Religion",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
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          "ref": "1979, Ronald E. Osborn, The Faith We Affirm, page 61",
          "text": "In baptism we make covenant; in communion we renew covenant week by week. . . . After offering prayers of thanksgiving, together we break bread and drink from the cup.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take part in Holy Communion."
      ],
      "id": "en-break_bread-en-verb-zjIx~1IS",
      "links": [
        [
          "Christianity",
          "Christianity"
        ],
        [
          "Holy Communion",
          "Holy Communion"
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Christianity) To take part in Holy Communion."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "Christianity"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "hacʿ ktrel",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "հաց կտրել"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "擘餅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "maak³ beng²",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "擘饼"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "擘餅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "bòbǐng",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "擘饼"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "het brood breken"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "het brood delen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "murtaa leipä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "rompre le pain"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "Brot brechen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "łamać chleb"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "comungar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "prelomljátʹ xleb",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "преломля́ть хлеб"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
          "word": "comulgar"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "breaking bread"
  ],
  "word": "break bread"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
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    "English predicates",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Food and drink"
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  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "breaking of bread"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Under medieval conditions, guests brought their own knives worn with them, which were their daggers they hunted and gathered with, then only fit to cut meat. From the expression “break bread with friends” the ellipsis “break bread” implying community developed.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "breaks bread",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
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    },
    {
      "form": "breaking bread",
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    {
      "form": "broke bread",
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      "form": "broken bread",
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  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "break<,,broke,broken> bread"
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      "name": "en-verb"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
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        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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          "ref": "1879, Anthony Trollope, chapter 63, in John Caldigate",
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          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To eat a meal, especially to eat a shared meal with friends."
      ],
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          "eat",
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          "meal"
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          "shared"
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          "type": "quotation"
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      "glosses": [
        "To take part in Holy Communion."
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        "(Christianity) To take part in Holy Communion."
      ],
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        "Christianity"
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    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "hacʿ kisel",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "հաց կիսել"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "hacʿ ktrel",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "հաց կտրել"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "進餐"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jìncān",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "进餐"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "bryde brød"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "het brood delen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "murtaa leipä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "rompre le pain"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "das Brot miteinander teilen"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "jeść razem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "zjeść razem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "comer em conjunto"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "razdelítʹ xleb-solʹ",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "раздели́ть хлеб-соль"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "compartir el pan"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "eat a meal, especially shared",
      "word": "ekmeğini paylaşmak"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "hacʿ ktrel",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "հաց կտրել"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "擘餅"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "maak³ beng²",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "擘饼"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "擘餅"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "bòbǐng",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "擘饼"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "het brood breken"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "het brood delen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "murtaa leipä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "rompre le pain"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "Brot brechen"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "łamać chleb"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "comungar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "prelomljátʹ xleb",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "преломля́ть хлеб"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "take part in Holy Communion",
      "word": "comulgar"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "breaking bread"
  ],
  "word": "break bread"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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