forbreak

Meaning

Verb

• To break in pieces, break up, destroy.
• To break through, interrupt.

Origin

• From Middle English forbreken, from Old English forbrecan ("to break up, break in pieces, violate, destroy"), from Proto-Germanic *frabrekaną ("to break up"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- ("to break"), equivalent to for- + break. Cognate with Dutch verbreken ("to sever, disrupt"), German verbrechen ("to commit, perpetrate").