† Breme

a. Obs. exc. poet. and dial. (brim) in sense 6. Forms: 1– bréme, 2– breme; also 3–6 brem, 3– brim, 3 brime, 4–6 brym, 5–6 brymme, bryme, 4–7 breeme, 6 brimme, 6–7 breem, (7 breame). [In Branch I, OE. bróeme, bréme, (brýme), celebrated, famous. The origin of Branch II, which did not exist in OE., and was more decidedly northern in ME. use, is at present unexplained.

  The Lindisf. Gosp. has (Matt., Pref. l. 10) broemende as a gloss of L. fervēre, which gives a sense related to branch II; but it is difficult to see the connection between this and OE. bróeme, bréman. Nor can branch II be derived from OE. bremman to bray, roar, ‘rudere, fremere,’ ME. BRIM v., though there may have been later confusion between a ‘breme’ or ‘brim’ boar, and a ‘brimming’ boar.]

  I.  Celebrated, brilliant, clear, loud, distinct.

  † 1.  Celebrated, famous, glorious (only in OE.); hence as a general epithet of admiration: Excellent, good, ‘fine,’ ‘famous’; sometimes app. = very big or strong. Obs.

a. 1000.  Ags. Ps. cxxxv[i]. 21. Og … wæs swyþe breme cyning on Basane.

a. 1300.  Floriz & Bl., 792. Þilke feste was wel breme.

c. 1325.  E. E. Allit. P., A. 862. Vchonez blysse is breme & beste.

c. 1350.  Will. Palerne, 18. A big barn and breme of his age.

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. XII. 224. How euere beste or brydde hath so breme wittes.

  † 2.  Brilliant, shining, bright; hence, clearly seen, evident, apparent, obvious. Obs.

c. 1340.  Alisaunder, 533. Or Barbre þe bryght God brem to beholde.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 1563. Ymagry … of bestes and babery breme to beholde.

1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 291 b. The lyght of grace … is so breme in these holy soules.

1548.  W. Patten, Exp. Scotl., in Arb., Garner, III. 106. They mustered somewhat brim in our eyes.

1581.  Studley, Seneca’s Medea, 121. Lyfe seems the bayte to sight that lyeth brim, Death is the hooke that underlies the same.

1594.  Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 32. So brim and glittering light.

1605.  [see B.].

  † 3.  Strong, distinct, or clear in sound. Obs.

a. 1300.  [see B.].

c. 1340.  Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1601. There watz blawyng of prys in mony breme horne. Ibid., 2200. A wonder breme noyse.

1340.  Alex. & Dind., 503. Brem briddene song [in] þe braunchus a-lofte.

1581.  T. Howell, Deuises (1879), 199. As a Bell sends forth the brimmest sownde, When deepest downe the Ringer plucks the frame.

1596.  Life Scanderbeg, 368. Brimme noise of the drummes, trumpets and tamborins.

1606.  Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. II. iv. (1621), 301. But, brimmer far than in the Heav’ns, heer All these sweet-charming Counter-Tunes we hear.

  † 4.  Of reports, rumors: Loudly or strongly current or prevalent, much spoken of. Obs.

1560.  Throgmorton, in Froude, Hist. Eng. (1881), VI. 439. The bruits were so brim of the marriage of the Lord Robert.

1529.  More, Comf. agst. Trib., I. Wks. 1140/2. Sith these tydinges haue comen hether so brymme of the greate Turkes enterpryse.

1565.  Golding, Ovid’s Met., XII. (1593), 280. In their talke most breeme Was then Achilles victorie.

1617.  Argentile & C., in Percy, Reliques (1767), II. 243. That thou Doest hold me in disdaine Is brimme abroad.

  II.  Fierce, raging, rough, rugged.

  † 5.  Of persons and their attributes or actions: Fierce, raging, furious; stern, wroth. Obs.

c. 1200.  Ormin, 7197. Herode king was grill & gramm, & breme, & bollȝhenn.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 4003. Esau coms brem and brath.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 9632. Brem was þe battell vpon both haluys.

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 51. Brym or fers, ferns, ferox.

1496.  Dives & Paup. (W. de W.), x. Introd. 31. Whan all other synnes forsake men for elde and feblenesse, than couetyse is moost breme.

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, VI. v. 41. This sorofull boitman with brym [v.r. breme] luik.

1556.  Abp. Parker, Psalter H iv. Amyds my foes so brymme.

1580.  Sidney, Arcadia, II. 224. Let not pride make the brim.

  † b.  similarly of beasts; esp. as an epithet of the boar (perh. with ref. to sense of BRIM v.). Obs.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 4899. Þe sargantz þat ware brem [v.r. breme, brim] als bare.

c. 1420.  Sir Amadace, xvi. He come to me as breme as bare.

c. 1530.  Ld. Berners, Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 56. Who hath the loke of a brim bore.

1535.  Stewart, Cron. Scotl., II. 461. Lyke ony lyoun he wes als brym and bald.

1550.  Lyndesay, Sq. Meldrum, 518. As brym as he had bene ane beir.

a. 1553.  Udall, Royster D., IV. vi. Never bore so brymme, nor tost so hot.

a. 1650.  Turke & G., 36, in Furniv., Percy Folio, I. 92. Though ye be breme as bore.

  † c.  of a fierce flame or blaze. Obs. or arch.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Troylus, IV. 156. As breme as blase of straw yset a fyre.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 860. Þe fyre … was blasound of brunston with a brem lowe.

1818.  Ballad, in Edin. Mag., Oct., 327 (Jam.). The sun sae breem frae hint a clud, Pour’t out the lowan day.

  6.  Of the sea, wind, etc.: Raging, rough, fierce, stormy: an attribute of winter, taken from Lydgate by Spenser, and echoed from Spenser by later poets. It survives in living use in north. dial. as brim.

a. 1300.  Havelok, 2233. That he sholde drenchen him In the se, that was ful brim.

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron., 28. Kast him in tille Temse, whan it was most brym.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 3714. A brode in the breme se.

1430.  Lydg., Chron. Troy, II. xvi. The breme wynter with his frost hore.

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, VII. Prol. 15. Brym blastis of the northyne art.

1579.  Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Feb., 42. Breme [Gloss. chill, bitter] winter with chamfred browes.

1598.  Drayton, Heroic. Epist., XVI. 8. On whose breeme Seas the Icie Mountaines flote. Ibid. (1603), Odes, X. 30. T’asswage breeme Winters scathes.

1611.  Cotgr., Froid, cold … breame, chill.

a. 1618.  J. Davies, Eglog. (1772), 114. Looke how breeme winter chamfers earths bleeke face.

1748.  Thomson, Cast. Indol., II. vii. Glad summer or the winter breme.

1808.  Jamieson, s.v. Brim, ‘A brim frost’ is still a common phrase for a severe frost. S. B.

1824.  Wiffen, Tasso, I. vi.

  † 7.  Also in brem valay: rough, rugged valley; breres brimme: sharp briers. Obs.

c. 1340.  Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 2145. To þe boþem of þe brem valay.

c. 1400.  Rom. Rose, 1836. Thisteles thikke, And breres brymme for to prikke.

  B.  quasi-adv. in the various senses: Splendidly, brilliantly, clearly; loudly; fiercely.

c. 1000.  Andreas (Gr.), 1721. Breme ʓebledsod.

a. 1300.  in Wright’s Lyric P., 44. When briddes singeth breme.

c. 1340.  Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 781. Þe bryge watz breme vp-brayde.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 841. Arcite and Palamon, That foughten breeme, as it were boores tuo.

a. 1500.  E. E. Misc. (Warton), 65. Gabrelle schalle bloo both brymne and scrylle.

1577.  trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1587), 619. [It doth] shine out very brightly, but far more brim if we [etc.].

1605.  Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. iv. (1633), 79. The rest … we do more brim behold.

1607.  W. Barksted, Mirrha (1876), 12. Eccho was pleas’d with voice resounding brim.