| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| breast |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  br st |
| NOUN: | 1a. Either of two milk-secreting, glandular organs on the chest of a woman; the human mammary gland. b. A corresponding organ in other mammals. c. A corresponding rudimentary gland in the male. 2a. The superior ventral surface of the human body, extending from the neck to the abdomen. b. A corresponding part in other animals. 3. The part of a garment that covers the chest. 4. The seat of affection and emotion: “Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast” (Shakespeare). 5. A source of nourishment. 6. Something likened to the human breast: the breast of a hill. 7. The face of a mine or tunnel. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: breast·ed, breast·ing, breasts
1. To rise over; climb: “He breasted a rise and looked down. He was at the head of a small valley” (Ken Follett). 2. To encounter or advance against resolutely; confront boldly. 3. To push against with or as if with the breast. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English brest, from Old English br ost.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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