brewis

American  

[broo-is, brooz] / ˈbru ɪs, bruz /

noun

Newfoundland.

1. hard bread soaked in water and then boiled.

2. such bread, with pieces of fish added, served as a meal.

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brewis British  

/ ˈbruːɪs, ˈbrɛvɪs /

noun

1. bread soaked in broth, gravy, etc

2. thickened broth

3. a Newfoundland stew of cod or pork, hardtack, and potatoes

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Etymology

Origin of brewis

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier brewz, brewes, apparently blend of bree “broth, juice” ( Middle English bre, unattested Old English brēo, variant of brīw; cf. brei) and browes, Middle English broys “broth, soup,” Old French broez (nominative), broet (accusative), equivalent to bro (from Old High German brod broth ) + -et -et

Example Sentences

When day, peeping in the east, made the sky turn from black to red like a boiling lobster, he waked us again to take a dish of monastical brewis.

From Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 5 by Motteux, Peter Anthony

“To be frank,” said the parson, in great humiliation—“to be perfectly frank, I like brewis, but—” The happiness faded from Aunt Tibbie’s eyes.

From Every Man for Himself by Duncan, Norman

In an early letter to you I recall judging harshly a concoction called "brewis."

From Le Petit Nord or, Annals of a Labrador Harbour by Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir

I have had my first, and I may add my last, experience of "brewis," an indeterminate concoction much in favour as an article of diet on this coast.

From Le Petit Nord or, Annals of a Labrador Harbour by Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir

I hated to suggest it to her, but I have a lurking suspicion that the catastrophe had some not too distant connection with the "brewis."

From Le Petit Nord or, Annals of a Labrador Harbour by Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir