Bream
/bɹɪm/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known.
- 2 any of various usually edible freshwater percoid fishes having compressed bodies and shiny scales; especially (but not exclusively) of the genus Lepomis wordnet
- 3 A species in that genus, Abramis brama. British
- 4 any of numerous marine percoid fishes especially (but not exclusively) of the family Sparidae wordnet
- 5 An American fresh-water fish, of various species of Lepomis and allied genera, which are also called sunfishes and pondfishes.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 flesh of any of various saltwater fishes of the family Sparidae or the family Bramidae wordnet
- 7 A marine sparoid fish of the genus Pagellus, and allied genera.
- 8 flesh of various freshwater fishes of North America or of Europe wordnet
Verb
- 1 To clean (e.g. a ship's bottom of clinging shells, seaweed, etc.) by the application of fire and scraping.
- 2 clean (a ship's bottom) with heat wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A village in West Dean parish, Forest of Dean district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO6005). countable, uncountable
- 3 An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English breme, from Old French breme, bresme, braisme, brasme (whence French brème), from Frankish *brahsma, *brahsima (whence Dutch brasem), from Proto-West Germanic *brahsmō (whence Old High German brahsma, brahsmo, brahsina, brehsina (whence German Brasse, Brachse (“bream”))), from Proto-Germanic *brahsmô, *brahsinō, *brahsmaz (“bream”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *brehwanaz (“shining, glittery, sparkly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerek- (“to shine”) (see braid (verb)).
Etymology 2
Compare broom, and German brennen (as in ein Schiff brennen).
Etymology 3
English surname, from an obsolete derivative of the root of the noun broom. Also from the adjective breme (“famous”). Compare the spelling variant Braham.