An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/braten

by Friedrich Kluge

braten, verb, ‘to roast, broil, fry,’ from the equivalent Middle High German brâten, Old High German brâtan; compare Dutch braden, Anglo-Saxon brœ̂dan, ‘to roast’; a Gothic strong verb *brêdan is to be assumed. The root may have been a pre-Teutonic bhrêdh or bhrêt; in support of the latter we may perhaps adduce Old High German brâdam, quoted under Brodem. Brüten (Gothic *brôdjan) might also be assigned to the same root. The pre-Teutonic bhrêdh is also indicated by Greek πρήθω (if it stands for φρήθω?), ‘to consume, set on fire’ (chiefly in combination with πυρί). See also Wildpret.