breast

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.

• enPR: brĕst, IPA^(key): /bɹɛst/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio

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• Rhymes: -ɛst
• Homophone: Brest

breast (plural breasts)

A breast

1. (anatomy) Either of the two organs on the front of a female human's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in males.

   Tanya's breasts grew remarkably during pregnancy.

2. (anatomy) 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.

   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     He has a loyal breast.

   • c. 1610-11, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act I scene ii:

     […] Thou best know'st

     What torment I did find thee in. Thy groans

     Did make wolves howl, and penetrate the breasts

     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.

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

   • (Can we date this quote?) John 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.
    • c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act II scene iii:

      By my troth, the fool has an excellent breast.

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

• (cut of poultry): thigh, wing, dark meat

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

1. (transitive, often figuratively) To push against with the breast; to meet full on, oppose, face

   He breasted the hill and saw the town before him.

   • Wirt

     The court breasted the popular current by sustaining the demurrer.

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