An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Brett

by Friedrich Kluge

Brett, neuter, ‘board, plank, shelf, counter,’ from the equivalent Middle High German brët, Old High German brët, neuter; corresponds to Anglo-Saxon brëd, n,; Gothic *brid, neuter. It has been shown under Bort, ‘board,’ that the Old Teutonic word for Brett had two stems, primarily identical and separated only by gradation, viz., bredo- and bordo-, whose connection might be represented thus: Indian bradhas is related to bṛdhas, as Aryan bhrédhos is to bhṛdhós, neuter; Middle High German brët combines the meanings ‘board, shield,’ &c., like Anglo-Saxon bord; see also Korb.