# breast

Pronunciation: US say "BREST" /bɹɛst/; UK

## Noun

1. Either of the two organs on the front of a woman's chest, containing the mammary glands; men have similar, smaller organs.
   - Simple: One of the two soft parts on the chest that can make milk in women. Men have them too.
   - _The infant latched onto the breast within minutes of birth._
   - _A mammogram produces a detailed image of each breast._
2. A choice cut of poultry, especially chicken or turkey, taken from the front of the bird; also a similar cut from mutton, veal, or pork.
   - Simple: The meat from the front part of a chicken, turkey, or other animal.
   - _The recipe calls for two boneless chicken breasts, pounded flat._
   - _Breast of veal becomes tender after hours of slow roasting._
3. The chest, or the front of the upper body of a person or animal.
   - Simple: The front part of the body between the neck and the stomach, of a person or animal.
   - _She crossed her hands over her breast and bowed._
   - _An arrow struck the knight full in the breast._
4. The section of a garment that covers the chest.
   - Simple: The part of a coat, shirt, or other piece of clothing that covers the chest.
   - _A silk handkerchief peeked from the breast of his suit._
   - _The uniform's breast bore three rows of ribbons._
5. The heart or innermost thoughts, regarded figuratively as the seat of the emotions and feelings.
   - Simple: Your heart or your deepest feelings, especially in poems and stories.
   - _A quiet pride swelled in her breast as her daughter crossed the stage._
   - _He kept his doubts locked within his own breast for years._
6. The breaststroke, a stroke swum face-down with symmetrical arm pulls and a frog kick.
   - Simple: A swimming style where you pull both arms out and around while your legs kick like a frog.
   - _Her best event is the 200-meter breast._
   - _He dropped two seconds off his breast time this season._
8. The front or forward part of something, such as a dam or a furnace.
   - Simple: The front part of something.
   - _The dam's broad breast held back the spring flood._
   - _After stripping off the old wallpaper, they painted the chimney breast a deep green so it would stand out in the room._
10. The top surface of a stretch of land or water, such as a hill or a river.
   - Simple: The wide top surface of a hill, a lake, or the sea.
   - _Moonlight lay silver on the breast of the river._
   - _Heather covered the broad breast of the moor._

## Verb

7. To push against with the breast or chest; to meet head-on, oppose, or face.
   - Simple: To push against something with your chest, or to face something hard without backing away.
   - _The ferry breasted the incoming tide as it left the harbor._
   - _Runners breast the tape at the finish line._
9. To arrive at the crest of a hill, rise, or other high ground.
   - Simple: To reach the top of a hill or other high place.
   - _The riders breasted the final climb together._
   - _As you breast the rise, the whole valley opens out below._
11. To remove the breast meat from a bird or other carcass.
   - Simple: To cut the breast meat off a bird.
   - _Hunters often breast the geese in the field and leave the rest._
   - _The butcher breasted each pheasant with two quick strokes._

## Noun

12. A person's capacity for singing, or a voice of musical quality. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A person's singing voice, or the power to sing well.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The exposed face of coal at which work is in progress in a mine.

## Origin

It comes from Middle English brest and Old English brēost, from Proto-West Germanic *breust and Proto-Germanic *breustą, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *bʰrews- meaning "to swell." It is related to Dutch borst and German Brust.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/breast (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).