breeze

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A light, gentle wind.

   A cool breeze blew in from the sea.

2. 2
   noun

   Something that is very easy to do.

   After studying Latin, learning Spanish was a breeze.

3. 3
   verb

   To move quickly and easily, or in a confident, carefree way.

   She breezed through the exam and finished early.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Breeze probably entered English in the 16th century from Spanish and Portuguese briza. It originally denoted a north or northeast wind, especially an Atlantic trade wind near the Caribbean, before broadening in the 17th century to mean any gentle wind.

From Middle English brese, from Old English brēosa, variant of Old English brimsa (“gadfly”), from Proto-Germanic *bremusī (“gadfly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerem- (“to make a noise, buzz, hum”). Cognate with Dutch brems (“horsefly, warblefly”), German Bremse (“gadfly, horsefly”), Danish bremse (“gadfly, horsefly”), Swedish broms (“gadfly, horsefly”). Related also to Middle English brimse (“gadfly”), French brize (“gadfly”), Old English bremman (“to rage, roar”), Latin fremō (“roar, snort, growl, grumble”). See also bream.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary