breeze

Meaning

Noun

1. A light, gentle wind.
2. Any activity that is easy, not testing or difficult.
3. Wind blowing across a cricket match, whatever its strength.
4. An excited or ruffled state of feeling; a flurry of excitement; a disturbance; a quarrel.
5. A brief workout for a racehorse.

Verb

1. To move casually, in a carefree manner.
2. To blow gently.
3. To take a horse on a light run in order to understand the running characteristics of the horse and to observe it while under motion.
4. To swim near the surface of the water, causing ripples in the surface.

Verb

To buzz.

Synonyms

wind

air

zephyr

gust

light wind

gale

breath

piece of cake

blow softly

picnic

puff

pushover

fog

🌫️

child’s play

snap

blow gently

gadfly

blows softly

draught

cinch

walkover

whiff

horse-fly

drizzle

duck soup

blowing

gentle wind

mist

gentle breeze

light breeze

moderate breeze

skim over

strong breeze

spring wind

land and sea breeze

braize

nickings

vernal breeze

blow lightly

coal fines

pan breeze

non-volatile residue

coke blacking

animation

coal powder

aura

away

bickering

blow

buggy

cinder

cool

🆒

draft

drift

flit

float

fresh air

gentle

glide

gust of wind

inspiration

kite

🪁

sail

skim

soar

spring

squabble

waft

winnow

wrangle

cat’s-paw

coal dust

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bɹiːz/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: brees

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Briese

Cognate with Western Frisian: brys

Cognate with Dutch: bries

Cognate with Dutch: brysen

Cognate with Spanish: brisa

Cognate with Middle English: brees

Cognate with Catalan: brisa

Cognate with Italian: brezza

Cognate with Portuguese: briza

Cognate with French: brise

Inherited from Middle English: brese

Inherited from Old English: brēosa

Cognate with Old English: brimsa

Cognate with Dutch: brems

Cognate with German: Bremse

Cognate with Danish: bremse

Cognate with Swedish: broms

Cognate with Middle English: brimse

Cognate with French: brize

Cognate with Old English: bremman

Cognate with Latin: fremō

In summary

From the earlier (nautical) term brise, brize (“breeze”), from Middle English brees (“wind”). Ultimate origin obscure.
Variously supposed to derive from a Germanic source like Saterland Frisian Briese (“breeze”), West Frisian brys (“a cool wind”), Dutch bries (“breeze”), early Dutch brysen (“to blow cool and fresh”), or from Spanish brisa (“northeast wind”).
The earliest attestations are in Middle English brees (1460), Catalan brisa, and Italian brezza (all in 15th century), with Spanish (1504) and Portuguese briza (16th century) following closely after. The aforementioned Dutch cognates and French brise, however, are attested later than the term in English. The only internal hypothesis for any of those languages is a modification of Old Occitan bisa (“strong wind”), which is not widely accepted.
Compare also Albanian breshër (“hail”).