An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Brosam

by Friedrich Kluge

Brosam, m., Brosame, f., ‘crumb’; connected instinctively by Germans with Brot and Samen; comp., however, MidHG. brôsem, brôsme, OHG. brôsma, OLG. brôsmo, ‘crumb, fragment’ (Goth. *brausma, ‘crumb,’ is not recorded). It is related either to the Teut. root brut, which appears in AS. breótan, ‘to break,’ or to AS. brysan, OFr. bruiser (E. to bruise), from a Kelt.-Teut. root brū̆s, which the UpGerm. dialects preserve in brösolen; ‘to crumble’ (whence, too, OSlov. brŭselŭ, ‘sherd,’ brŭsnąti, ‘to wipe off, rub off’).