Breast Meaning
/bɹɛst/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounEither of the two organs on the front of a female human's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in males.
nounThe chest, or front of the human thorax.
Sentence Examples
You had better make a clean breast of everything.
Music has a charm that soothes even the savage's breast.
She put the baby to her breast.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor detected a small lump in her left ____ during the examination.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The bird has bright red feathers on its ____ that shine in the sun.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *breustą Proto-West Germanic *breust Old English brēost Middle English brest English breast From Middle English brest, from Old English brēost, from Proto-West Germanic *breust, from Proto-Germanic *breustą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell”). Compare West Frisian boarst, Danish bryst, Swedish bröst; cf. also Dutch borst, German Brust.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Biblical criteria of sexual seductiveness include a white skin, black hair, or henna-dyed, scarlet lips, a prominent nose, rosy temples, long straight neck, firm breasts, round thighs, an erect posture."
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 219:
"‘She has big breasts’, Chuck said. ‘Who? Patty? Oh yes.’ Hentman nodded. ‘Well, it’s that operation they give in Hollywood and New York. It’s more the rage now than the dilation, and she’s had that done, too.’"
— 1964, Philip K. Dick, “TWELVE”, in Clans of the Alphane Moon, United States: Ace Books, →OCLC; republished London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996, →ISBN, page 173:
"Amies Oelschlager said in a statement that oral contraceptives that contain estrogen may cause side effects such as headaches, nausea, and breast tenderness."
— 2023 July 21, Amanda Musa, “The FDA approved the US’ first over-the-counter birth control pill. What happens next?”, in CNN:
"The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, / For he heard the loud bassoon."
— 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
"By the time he reached the War Memorial damp had soaked through the breasts of his shirt."
— 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 45:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor detected a small lump in her left ____ during the examination.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The bird has bright red feathers on its ____ that shine in the sun.