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bream1 definition

bream (brēm)

noun pl. bream or breams

  1. a European freshwater cyprinoid fish (Abramis brama)
  2. any of various porgy fishes (family Sparidae)
  3. ☆ any of a number of freshwater sunfishes, as the bluegill

Etymology: ME breme < OFr bresme < Frank *brahsima: for IE base see braid

bream2 definition

bream (brēm)

transitive verb

Historical to clean (a ship's bottom) by applying heat and then scraping

Etymology: < ? Du brem, furze (see bramble): burning furze was orig. used in process

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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