Breton

[ bruh-tawn ]

/ brəˈtɔn /

Save This Word!

noun

An·dré

[ahn-drey], /ɑ̃ˈdreɪ/, 1896–1966, French poet, essayist, and critic.

Jules A·dolphe

[zhyla-dawlf], /ʒyl aˈdɔlf/, 1827–1906, French painter.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Breton

Brest, Brest Litovsk, Bretagne, bretelle, brethren, Breton, Breton lace, Brett, Bretton Woods Conference, bretylium, Breuer

Other definitions for Breton (2 of 2)

Breton²

[ bret-n; French bruh-tawn ]

/ ˈbrɛt n; French brəˈtɔn /

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. 2023

How to use Breton in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
The Surrealists actually had a formal Surrealist Manifesto (convenient) by André Breton.
The Eyes Have It|Blake Gopnik|March 5, 2013|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.
The Strange Way We Eat: Bee Wilson’s ‘Consider the Fork’|Bee Wilson|October 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"Milor, the matter admits of no settlement," said the Breton menacingly, rising from his chair.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

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.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
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.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
In a moment the Breton woman returned with a dainty little case of gold with a monogram of sapphires in one corner.
A Butterfly on the Wheel|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
Four dialects are pretty clearly marked (see the article Celt: Language, "Breton," p. 328).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Breton (1 of 2)

Breton¹

/ (ˈbrɛtən, French brətɔ̃) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for Breton (2 of 2)

Breton²

/ (French brətɔ̃) /

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