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Added 10 October 2026

bream

/bɹiːm/ noun

In Latin: sparulus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bream at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known.
A species in that genus, Abramis brama.
An American fresh-water fish, of various species of Lepomis and allied genera, which are also called sunfishes and pondfishes.

verb

To clean (e.g. a ship's bottom of clinging shells, seaweed, etc.) by the application of fire and scraping.

Origin

From Middle English breme, from Old French breme, bresme, braisme, brasme (whence French brème), from Frankish *brahsma, *brahsima (whence Dutch brasem), from Proto-West Germanic *brahsmō (whence Old High German brahsma, brahsmo, brahsina, brehsina (whence German Brasse, Brachse (“bream”))), from Proto-Germanic *brahsmô, *brahsinō, *brahsmaz (“bream”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *brehwanaz (“shining, glittery, sparkly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerek- (“to shine”) (see braid (verb)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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