▪ I. † breme, a. Obs. exc. poet. and dial. (brim) in sense 6.
(briːm)
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, (br{yacu}me), 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 connexion 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 Of 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 J. Studley Seneca's Medea 121 Lyfe seems the bayte to sight that lyeth brim, Death is the hooke that underlies the same. 1594 Plat Jewel-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, rumours: 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, ferus, ferox. 1496 Dives and 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. 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. 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 J. H. 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.
| a 1000 Andreas (Gr.) 1721 Breme ᵹebledsod. a 1300 in Wright 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 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 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. |
▪ II. breme
obs. form of bream, a fish.
▪ III. breme
obs. or dial. f. brim v., said of swine.