bread
bread
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) spelling for "bread" is:
/bɹɛd/
b: The voiced bilabial stop, as in ball.
ɹ: The voiced alveolar approximant, as in red.
ɛ: The open-mid front unrounded vowel, as in dress.
d: The voiced alveolar stop, as in dog.
Word Form Variations
Singular: bread
Plural (uncountable): bread (e.g., "I bought some bread.")
Plural (countable, referring to types or loaves): breads (e.g., "The bakery sells many different breads.")
Verb (present tense): bread
Verb (third-person singular present): breads
Verb (present participle): breading
Verb (past tense/past participle): breaded
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A staple food created by baking a dough made primarily from flour, water, and a leavening agent such as yeast.
Synonyms: loaf, baked good, pastry, roll
Antonyms: (no direct antonyms)
(Informal) Money or currency, especially as it relates to livelihood or financial sustenance.
Synonyms: money, cash, dough, funds, capital
Antonyms: debt, poverty, penury
The fundamental source of one's livelihood or sustenance; essential nourishment, whether literal or metaphorical.
Synonyms: sustenance, livelihood, nourishment, living, subsistence
Antonyms: luxury, nonessential, indulgence
Verb
To coat a food item with breadcrumbs, flour, or a similar dry mixture before cooking it, typically by frying or baking.
Synonyms: coat, cover, dredge, crust
Antonyms: strip, uncover, bare
Examples of Use
In Literature and Religious Texts
As a symbol of essential nourishment and divine providence, "bread" is used in one of the most well-known Christian prayers.
"Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11, The Bible)
In News and Online Publications
Journalists and food writers use the word to refer to the food item, its cultural significance, or in culinary instructions.
As a Noun: "While some bakers have been making sourdough for decades, others joined the trend during the pandemic, turning to the slow, methodical process of making bread from scratch as a source of comfort and a way to pass the time." (The New York Times, April 2023)
As a Verb: "Once the cutlets are pounded thin, it's time to bread them. Set up three shallow dishes: one with flour, one with a beaten egg, and a third with seasoned breadcrumbs." (Bon Appétit)
In Entertainment
The word appears in film, television, and music, often referring to food but also frequently as slang for money.
In Film: In the musical Les Misérables, the protagonist Jean Valjean's life is forever changed after he is imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister's child.
In Music (Slang for money): "I'm takin' rappers to a new plateau, through rap slow / ...The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps / That's where I learned to do my hustle and I had to get my bread up." (Nas, "N.Y. State of Mind," 1994)
In General Public Discourse
In everyday conversation, "bread" is a part of several common idioms and expressions.
"The best thing since sliced bread": A popular idiom used to describe a particularly brilliant or useful invention or innovation. For example: "This new software update is the best thing since sliced bread; it's saved me hours of work."
"Bread and butter": Refers to a person's or company's primary source of income. For example: "While I enjoy photography, my bread and butter is graphic design."
"To break bread": A phrase that means to share a meal with someone, often implying fellowship and peaceful connection. For example: "After the long negotiation, the two leaders agreed to break bread together."
10 Famous Quotes Using Bread
Give us this day our daily bread. (The Bible, Matthew 6:11)
Man shall not live by bread alone. (The Bible, Deuteronomy 8:3)
All sorrows are less with bread. (Miguel de Cervantes)
The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight. (M.F.K. Fisher)
With bread and circuses, you can captivate a people. (Juvenal)
Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts. (James Beard)
The cry for bread is a cry for peace. (Indira Gandhi)
I judge a restaurant by the bread and by the coffee. (Burt Lancaster)
If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens. (Robert Browning)
The hungry man thinks only of bread. (Jean de La Fontaine)
Etymology
For a word as common as bread, which we will surely hear or use today, Monday, October 13th, it has a fascinating history that reveals how language can shift over time.
The word bread traces its roots back to the Old English word brēad. However, when it was first used over a thousand years ago, it didn't mean what we think of today. Back then, brēad meant a "bit," "piece," "crumb," or "morsel." It referred to a broken-off fragment of a baked good.
The actual Old English word for a whole, baked loaf was hlāf, which is the direct ancestor of our modern word "loaf."
So, in ancient England, you would have a hlāf (a loaf), and you would break off a brēad (a piece) to eat.
Over the centuries, a linguistic shift happened. The word for the part (brēad) gradually took over and began to refer to the whole thing. By around the year 1200, bread had come to mean the entire baked item, and the old word hlāf became more specialized, eventually settling into its modern meaning as "loaf."
If we go even further back, to the word's Proto-Germanic ancestor, braudą, scholars believe it is connected to the root of our modern verb "to brew." This connection likely comes from the leavening process, where yeast causes the dough to ferment and rise—a process very similar to brewing. Another strong theory connects it to the root of the verb "to break," which perfectly matches its original meaning as a "broken piece."
In short, the word for a small piece of a baked good became so common that it eventually replaced the word for the entire thing itself.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Bread
Bread and butter: Refers to a person's primary source of income or a company's main product.
The best thing since sliced bread: An expression used to describe a new invention or idea that is exceptionally good.
To break bread: To share a meal with someone, signifying fellowship and peace.
Daily bread: The essential sustenance or money needed to live.
Breadwinner: The person in a family who earns the money to support everyone.
To know which side your bread is buttered on: To be aware of who or what is most important to your own success and to act accordingly.
Bread and circuses: A phrase describing entertainment and superficial offerings used to distract the public from more serious issues.
Man does not live by bread alone: A saying that means people have spiritual and emotional needs in addition to physical ones.
Cast your bread upon the waters: An idiom advising one to do good deeds without expecting an immediate or direct reward.
Let's get this bread: 🍞 A modern slang phrase meaning "Let's go earn money" or "Let's work hard and succeed."
Half a loaf is better than none: It's better to get part of what you want than to get nothing at all.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of bread from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
