browse

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɹaʊz/ See IPA manual

Freq #28885

Meanings

1

verb
To look through things in a relaxed way, without searching for anything in particular

I spent the afternoon browsing in the bookshop.
2

verb
To look at pages or information on the internet

She was browsing the web for cheap flights.
3

noun
Young leaves, twigs, and shoots that animals such as deer eat

A deer needs to eat about twenty pounds of browse every day.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to look at pages or... surf

Word family

Forms browsedbrowsesbrowsing

Derived forms browsabilitybrowsablebrowseablebrowserbrowsewoodbrowsewrapbrowsynonbrowsingoverbrowseunbrowsed

Etymology

From Middle English browsen, from Old French brouster, broster (“to nibble off buds, sprouts, and bark; browse”), from brost (“a sprout, shoot, bud”), from a Germanic source, perhaps Frankish *brust (“shoot, bud”), from Proto-Germanic *brustiz (“bud, shoot”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell, sprout”). Cognate with Bavarian Bross, Brosst (“a bud”), Old Saxon brustian (“to sprout”). Doublet of brut, breast, and brush.

browsen Middle English brouster Old French *brust frk *brustiz Proto-Germanic *bʰrews- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# browse

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /bɹaʊz/
**Frequency rank:** 28885

## Meanings
1. To look through things in a relaxed way, without searching for anything in particular
2. To look at pages or information on the internet
3. Young leaves, twigs, and shoots that animals such as deer eat

## Examples
- I spent the afternoon browsing in the bookshop.
- She was browsing the web for cheap flights.
- A deer needs to eat about twenty pounds of browse every day.

## Derived Forms
- browsability
- browsable
- browseable
- browser
- browsewood
- browsewrap
- browsy
- nonbrowsing
- overbrowse
- unbrowsed

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: browsen
- Root: brouster
- Root: *brust
- Root: *brustiz
- Root: *bʰrews-

## Etymology
From Middle English browsen, from Old French brouster, broster (“to nibble off buds, sprouts, and bark; browse”), from brost (“a sprout, shoot, bud”), from a Germanic source, perhaps Frankish *brust (“shoot, bud”), from Proto-Germanic *brustiz (“bud, shoot”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell, sprout”). Cognate with Bavarian Bross, Brosst (“a bud”), Old Saxon brustian (“to sprout”). Doublet of brut, breast, and brush.

## AI Etymology
Browse comes from Middle English browsen, from Old French brouster, broster (“to nibble off buds, sprouts, and bark; browse”), from brost (“a sprout, shoot, bud”), from a Germanic source, perhaps Frankish *brust (“shoot, bud”), from Proto-Germanic *brustiz (“bud, shoot”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell, sprout”). Cognate with Bavarian Bross, Brosst (“a bud”), Old Saxon brustian (“to sprout”). Doublet of brut, breast, and brush.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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