English
bra
Bra comes from French brassière ‘child's vest’, from Old French brace ‘arm’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mreǵʰ- ‘short’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mreǵʰ-1‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mréǵʰus2‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*brəkʰús2‘short’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβραχίων2brakhíōn‘forearm’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbracchium2‘forearm’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbracchia2plural of bracchium
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400brace2‘arm’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400braciere2
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbrassière2‘child's vest’
- Englishearliest quotation 1964bra2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus
- 2 Wiktionary, English bra
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1964, Philip K. Dick, FOUR: “Mary felt annoyed at the girl; just because bras…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mreǵʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mréǵʰusWiktionary, English bra‘short’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*brəkʰúsWiktionary, English bra‘short’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβραχίωνWiktionary, English brabrakhíōn‘forearm’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbracchiumWiktionary, English bra‘forearm’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbracchiaWiktionary, English braplural of bracchium
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400braceWiktionary, English bra‘arm’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400braciereWiktionary, English bra
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbrassièreWiktionary, English bra‘child's vest’
- Englishearliest quotation 1964braWiktionary, English bra. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1964, Philip K. Dick, FOUR: “Mary felt annoyed at the girl; just because bras…”
The story
Clipping of brassiere, borrowed from French brassière, from Old French braciere (originally a lining inside armor to protect the arm, but later a garment), from Old French brace (‘arm’), from Latin bracchia, plural of Latin bracchium (‘forearm’), from Ancient Greek βραχίων (brakhíōn, “forearm”), from Proto-Hellenic *brəkʰús (‘short’) (because the forearm is shorter than the upper arm), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mreǵʰ- ‘short’
through Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus ‘short’
brief, merry, brevity, abbreviate, 31 more
through Ancient Greek βραχίων ‘forearm’
through Latin bracchium ‘forearm’
brass, pretzel, brachial, 8 more
through Old French brace ‘arm’
through French brassière ‘child's vest’
Today it means
noun An item of clothing, usually underwear worn to support the breasts.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “bra”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.