An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/brauen

by Friedrich Kluge

brauen, verb ‘to brew,’ from the equivalent Middle High German brûwen, briuwen, Old High German briuwan; compare the corresponding Old Icelandic brugga, Dutch brouwen, Anglo-Saxon breówan, English to brew. To the Old Teutonic root bru (from Aryan bhru- bhrĕw), ‘to brew,’ which may be inferred from these verbs, belongs Phrygian-Thracian βρῦτον, ‘beer, cider,’ which perhaps stands for Greek *φρῦτον, also Latin defrū̆tum, ‘must boiled down,’ Old Irish bruthe, ‘broth,’ bruth, ‘live coals, heat,’ bruith, ‘cooking.’ It is shown, moreover, under Brod that the meaning of the root bhru- was at one time more general; compare further brodeln. On account of the gutturals, Greek φρύγω, Latin frîgo, cannot be cognates. Compare also brodeln, Brod.