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definitions

breast

[brest]
|

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

breast in, Nautical. to bind (an object, as a boatswain's chair) securely under a projection, as the flare of a bow.
breast off, Nautical.
  1. to thrust (a vessel) sideways from a wharf.
  2. to keep (a vessel) away from a wharf by means of timbers.

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Idioms

    beat one's breast, to display one's grief, remorse, etc., in a loud and demonstrative manner.
    make a clean breast of, to confess everything (of which one is guilty): You'll feel better if you make a clean breast of it.

Origin of breast

before 1000; Middle English brest, Old English brēost; cognate with Old Norse brjōst; akin to German Brust, Gothic brusts, Dutch borst
Related formsbreast·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for make a clean breast of

breast

noun

the front part of the body from the neck to the abdomen; chest
either of the two soft fleshy milk-secreting glands on the chest in sexually mature human femalesadjective mammary
a similar organ in certain other mammals
anything that resembles a breast in shape or positionthe breast of the hill
a source of nourishmentthe city took the victims to its breast
the source of human emotions
the part of a garment that covers the breast
a projection from the side of a wall, esp that formed by a chimney
mining the face being worked at the end of a tunnel
beat one's breast to display guilt and remorse publicly or ostentatiously
make a clean breast of to make a confession of

verb (tr)

to confront boldly; facebreast the storm
to oppose with the breast or meet at breast levelbreasting the waves
to come alongside ofbreast the ship
to reach the summit ofbreasting the mountain top

Word Origin for breast

Old English brēost; related to Old Norse brjōst, Old High German brust, Dutch borst, Swedish bräss, Old Irish brū belly, body
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 make a clean breast of

breast

n.

Old English breost "breast, bosom; mind, thought, disposition," from Proto-Germanic *breustam "breast" (cf. Old Saxon briost, Old Frisian briast, Old Norse brjost, Dutch borst, German brust, Gothic brusts), perhaps literally "swelling" and from PIE root *bhreus- "to swell, sprout" (cf. Middle Irish bruasach "having a broad, strong chest," Old Irish bruinne "breast"). The spelling conforms to the Scottish and northern England dialectal pronunciation. Figurative sense of "seat of the emotions" was in Old English.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for make a clean breast of

breast

[brĕst]

n.

Either of two milk-secreting, glandular organs on the chest of a woman; mammary gland; mamma.
A corresponding rudimentary gland in the male.
The superior ventral surface of the human body, extending from the neck to the abdomen.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with make a clean breast of

make a clean breast of

Confess fully, as in Caught shoplifting, the girls decided to make a clean breast of it to their parents. This expression, first recorded in 1752, uses clean breast in the sense of baring of one's heart, the breast long considered the seat of private or secret feelings.

breast

see keep abreast of; make a clean breast of.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.