Breton

¹

[ bruh-tawn ]

noun

1. An·dré [ah, n, -, drey], 1896–1966, French poet, essayist, and critic.
2. Jules A·dolphe [zhyl , a, -, dawlf], 1827–1906, French painter.

Breton

²

[ bret-n; French bruh-tawn ]

noun

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

adjective

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

Breton

¹

/ ˈbrɛtən; brətɔ̃ /

adjective

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

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

/ brətɔ̃ /

noun

1. BretonAndré18961966MFrenchWRITING: poetARTS AND CRAFTS: critic André (ɑ̃dre). 1896–1966, French poet and art critic: founder and chief theorist of surrealism, publishing the first surrealist manifesto in 1924

Word History and Origins

Origin of Breton¹

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

Example Sentences

In one thing alone, except my painting, was I serious, and that was something which lay hidden if not lost in the Breton forests.

From The Daily Beast

The Surrealists actually had a formal Surrealist Manifesto (convenient) by André Breton.

From The Daily Beast

“We need no forks to make hay with our mouths, to throw our meat into them,” noted the poet Nicholas Breton in 1618.

From The Daily Beast

"Milor, the matter admits of no settlement," said the Breton menacingly, rising from his chair.

From Project Gutenberg

The child of Finnish sea-folk who had drifted to Brest and died there, she had been adopted by an old Breton sea-dog and his wife.

From Project Gutenberg

I know of no other kind of song to compare with it, unless it were perhaps the songs of the Tyrol and a few Breton ballads.

From Project Gutenberg

In a moment the Breton woman returned with a dainty little case of gold with a monogram of sapphires in one corner.

From Project Gutenberg

Four dialects are pretty clearly marked (see the article Celt: Language, "Breton," p. 328).

From Project Gutenberg