Breton

¹ American  

[bruh-tawn] / brəˈtɔn /

noun

1. André 1896–1966, French poet, essayist, and critic.

2. Jules Adolphe 1827–1906, French painter.

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Breton ² American  

[bret-n, bruh-tawn] / ˈbrɛt n, brəˈtɔn /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Brittany.

2. Also called Armorican.  Also called Armoric.  the Celtic language of Brittany.

3. (often lowercase) a round hat for women, with a flat crown and a turned-up brim.

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adjective

1. pertaining to Brittany, the Bretons, or their language.

Breton ¹ British  

/ ˈbrɛtən, brətɔ̃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Brittany, its people, or their language

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Brittany, esp one who speaks the Breton language

2. the indigenous language of Brittany, belonging to the Brythonic subgroup of the Celtic family of languages

Breton ² British  

/ brətɔ̃ /

noun

1. André (ɑ̃dre). 1896–1966, French poet and art critic: founder and chief theorist of surrealism, publishing the first surrealist manifesto in 1924

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Etymology

Origin of Breton

1815–20; < French breton; replacing Britain, Brit ( t ) on, Breton used for both this sense and the sense of Briton

Example Sentences

Exhausted, starving and desperate, he knocked on the door of local farmers John and Phyllis Le Breton.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

A few weeks later, the US State Department announced sanctions on five individuals including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

The fossil was found on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, a location known for difficult and sometimes dangerous fieldwork.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

The two languages, along with Breton, are closely related.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

They smell of stale bread, of stuffy living rooms crammed with dark titanic Breton furnishings.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr