Breton

[bruh-tawn]

noun

An·dré [ahn-drey] /ɑ̃ˈdreɪ/, 1896–1966, French poet, essayist, and critic.
Jules A·dolphe [zhyl a-dawlf] /ʒyl aˈdɔlf/, 1827–1906, French painter.

Breton

[bret-n; French bruh-tawn]

noun

a native or inhabitant of Brittany.
Also called Armorican, Armoric. the Celtic language of Brittany.
(often lowercase) a round hat for women, with a flat crown and a turned-up brim.

adjective

pertaining to Brittany, the Bretons, or their language.

Origin of Breton

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for breton

Contemporary Examples of breton

In one thing alone, except my painting, was I serious, and that was something which lay hidden if not lost in the Breton forests.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014

Historical Examples of breton

Then poor Bornier, who resembled a Breton gnome, came up to me.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
There was more than sunlight to make the Breton pirate blink.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
Almost, indeed, had the Breton shuddered at his compatriot's cold-bloodedness.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
It would then be supposed that the attack was made by a party of Breton peasantry.
No Surrender!
G. A. Henty
As you know, he is of a Breton family, one of the most illustrious of the province.
Saint Bartholomew's Eve
G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for breton

Breton

adjective

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

noun

a native or inhabitant of Brittany, esp one who speaks the Breton language
the indigenous language of Brittany, belonging to the Brythonic subgroup of the Celtic family of languages

Breton

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for breton

Breton

"native or language of Brittany," late 14c., from French form of Briton (q.v.).