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Word Study
breach
CIDE DICTIONARY
breach, n. [OE. breke, breche, AS. brice, gebrice, gebrece (in comp.), fr. brecan to break; akin to Dan. bræk, MHG. breche, gap, breach. See Break, and cf. Brake (the instrument), Brack a break].
- The act of breaking, in a figurative sense. [1913 Webster]
- Specifically: A breaking or infraction of a law, or of any obligation or tie; violation; non-fulfillment; as, a breach of contract; a breach of promise. [1913 Webster]
- A gap or opening made made by breaking or battering, as in a wall or fortification; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by violence; a break; a rupture. [1913 Webster]"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead." [1913 Webster] - A breaking of waters, as over a vessel; the waters themselves; surge; surf. [1913 Webster]"The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters." [1913 Webster]
- A breaking up of amicable relations; rupture. [1913 Webster]"There's fallen between him and my lord
An unkind breach." [1913 Webster] - A bruise; a wound. [1913 Webster]"Breach for breach, eye for eye." [1913 Webster]
- A hernia; a rupture. [1913 Webster]
- A breaking out upon; an assault. [1913 Webster]" The Lord had made a breach upon Uzza." [1913 Webster]
- Breach of promise, violation of one's plighted word, esp. of a promise to marry. -- Breach of trust, violation of one's duty or faith in a matter entrusted to one.
Syn. -- Rent; cleft; chasm; rift; aperture; gap; break; disruption; fracture; rupture; infraction; infringement; violation; quarrel; dispute; contention; difference; misunderstanding.
breach, v. t.
To make a breach or opening in; as, to breach the walls of a city. [1913 Webster]
breach, v. i.
To break the water, as by leaping out; -- said of a whale. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
breach, n. & v.
--n.
1 (often foll. by of) the breaking of or failure to observe a law, contract, etc.
2 a a breaking of relations; an estrangement. b a quarrel.
3 a a broken state. b a gap, esp. one made by artillery in fortifications.
--v.tr.
1 break through; make a gap in.
2 break (a law, contract, etc.).
--n.
1 (often foll. by of) the breaking of or failure to observe a law, contract, etc.
2 a a breaking of relations; an estrangement. b a quarrel.
3 a a broken state. b a gap, esp. one made by artillery in fortifications.
--v.tr.
1 break through; make a gap in.
2 break (a law, contract, etc.).
Idiom
breach of the peace an infringement or violation of the public peace by any disturbance or riot etc. breach of promise the breaking of a promise, esp. a promise to marry. stand in the breach bear the brunt of an attack. step into the breach give help in a crisis, esp. by replacing someone who has dropped out.
Etymology
ME f. OF breche, ult. f. Gmc
THESAURUS
breach
abysm, abyss, alienation, arroyo, atrocity, bad faith, bore, box canyon, breach of contract, breach of faith, breach of friendship, breach of privilege, breach of promise, breach of trust, break, break in, break into, break open, break through, breakage, breaking, burst, burst in, bust, bust in, caesura, canyon, cave in, cavity, cessation, chap, chasm, check, chimney, chink, chip, cleavage, cleave, cleft, cleuch, clough, col, contravene, contravention, coulee, couloir, crack, cranny, crevasse, crevice, crime, crime against humanity, cut, cut apart, cwm, deadly sin, defile, delinquency, dell, dereliction, difference, dike, disaffection, discontinuity, discord, disfavor, disharmony, disobedience, disregard, disrupt, disruption, dissension, disunion, disunity, ditch, divergence, dividedness, division, donga, draw, enormity, error, estrangement, evil, excavation, exfoliate, failure, falling-out, fault, felony, fissure, flaw, flume, force open, fracture, furrow, gap, gape, gash, genocide, gorge, groove, guilty act, gulch, gulf, gully, heavy sin, hiatus, hole, impropriety, incise, incision, indiscretion, inexpiable sin, infract, infraction, infringe, infringement, iniquity, injury, injustice, interim, intermission, interruption, interval, invade, joint, kloof, lacuna, lapse, leak, letup, lull, malefaction, malfeasance, malum, minor wrong, misdeed, misdemeanor, misfeasance, moat, mortal sin, neglect, nonfeasance, nonobservance, notch, nullah, offend, offense, omission, open, open fire, open rupture, open up, opening, outrage, pass, passage, pause, peccadillo, peccancy, penetrate, prize open, quarrel, ravine, recall of ambassadors, rent, rift, rime, rip, rive, rupture, scale, schism, scissure, seam, secession, separation, severance, sin, sin of commission, sin of omission, sinful act, slash, slice, slip, slit, slot, snap, splinter, split, split open, stove in, strife, suspension, tear, tear open, tort, transgress, transgression, trench, trespass, trip, unutterable sin, valley, variance, venial sin, violation, void, wadi, withdrawal, wrongROGET THESAURUS
breach
Disjunction
N disjunction, disconnection, disunity, disunion, disassociation, disengagement, discontinuity, abjunction, cataclasm, inconnection, abstraction, abstractedness, isolation, insularity, insulation, oasis, island, separateness, severalty, disjecta membra, dispersion, apportionment, separation, parting, circumcision, detachment, segregation, divorce, sejunction, seposition, diduction, diremption, discerption, elision, caesura, break, fracture, division, subdivision, rupture, compartition, dismemberment, dislocation, luxation, severance, disseverance, scission, rescission, abscission, laceration, dilaceration, disruption, abruption, avulsion, divulsion, section, resection, cleavage, fission, partibility, separability, fissure, breach, rent, split, rift, crack, slit, incision, dissection anatomy, decomposition, cutting instrument, buzzsaw, circular saw, rip saw, separatist, disjoined, discontinuous, multipartite, abstract, disjunctive, secant, isolated, insular, separate, disparate, discrete, apart, asunder, far between, loose, free, unattached, unannexed, unassociated, unconnected, distinct, adrift, straggling, rift, reft, scissile, divisible, discerptible, partible, separable, separately, one by one, severally, apart, adrift, asunder, in twain, in the abstract, abstractedly.Unconformity
N unconformity, nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, Cyclops, men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders, teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis, uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, Int, what on earth!, what in the world!, What the devil!, Holy cow!, Can you top that?, Sacre bleu, never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, I could hardly believe it, I saw it, but I didn't believe it.Discord
N discord, disagreement, discord, disaccord, dissidence, dissonance, jar, clash, shock, jarring, jostling, screw loose, variance, difference, dissension, misunderstanding, cross purposes, odds, brouillerie, division, split, rupture, disruption, division in the camp, house divided against itself, disunion, breach, schism, feud, faction, quarrel, dispute, tiff, tracasserie, squabble, altercation, barney, demel_e, snarl, spat, towrow, words, high words, wrangling, jangle, brabble, cross questions and crooked answers, snip-snap, family jars, polemics, litigation, strife, warfare, outbreak, open rupture, declaration of war, broil, brawl, row, racket, hubbub, rixation, embroilment, embranglement, imbroglio, fracas, breach of the peace, piece of work, scrimmage, rumpus, breeze, squall, riot, disturbance, commotion, bear garden, Donnybrook, Donnybrook Fair, subject of dispute, ground of quarrel, battle ground, disputed point, bone of contention, bone to pick, apple of discord, casus belli, question at issue, vexed question, vexata quaestio, brand of discord, troublous times, cat-and-dog life, contentiousness, enmity, hate, Kilkenny cats, disputant, strange bedfellows, discordant, disagreeing, out of tune, ajar, on bad terms, dissentient, unreconciled, unpacified, contentious, quarrelsome, unpacific, gladiatorial, controversial, polemic, disputatious, factious, litigious, litigant, pettifogging, at odds, at loggerheads, at daggers drawn, at variance, at issue, at cross purposes, at sixes and sevens, at feud, at high words, up in arms, together by the ears, in hot water, embroiled, torn, disunited, quot homines tot sententiae, no love lost between them, non nostrum tantas componere lites, Mars gravior sub pace latet, discord, discordance, dissonance, cacophony, want of harmony, caterwauling, harshness, Babel, Dutch concert, cat's concert, marrowbones and cleavers, discordant, dissonant, absonant, out of tune, tuneless, unmusical, untunable, unmelodious, immelodious, unharmonious, inharmonious, singsong, cacophonous, harsh, jarring.Interval
N interval, interspace, separation, break, gap, opening, hole, chasm, hiatus, caesura, interruption, interregnum, interstice, lacuna, cleft, mesh, crevice, chink, rime, creek, cranny, crack, chap, slit, fissure, scissure, rift, flaw, breach, rent, gash, cut, leak, dike, ha-ha, gorge, defile, ravine, canon, crevasse, abyss, abysm, gulf, inlet, frith, strait, gully, pass, furrow, abra, barranca, barranco, clove, gulch, notch, yawning gulf, hiatus maxime, hiatus valde deflendus, parenthesis, void, incompleteness, period, interim (time), with an interval, far between, breachy, rimose, rimulose, at intervals, longo intervallo.Undueness
N undueness, malum prohibitum, impropriety, illegality, falseness, emptiness of title, invalidity of title, illegitimacy, loss of right, disfranchisement, forfeiture, usurpation, tort, violation, breach, encroachment, presumption, assumption, seizure, stretch, exaction, imposition, lion's share, usurper, pretender, undue, unlawful, unconstitutional, illicit, unauthorized, unwarranted, disallowed, unallowed, unsanctioned, unjustified, unentitled, disentitled, unqualified, disqualified, unprivileged, unchartered, illegitimate, bastard, spurious, supposititious, false, usurped, tortious, undeserved, unmerited, unearned, unfulfilled, forfeited, disfranchised, improper, unmeet, unfit, unbefitting, unseemly, unbecoming, misbecoming, seemless, contra bonos mores, not the thing, out of the question, not to be thought of, preposterous, pretentious, would-be, filius nullius.Also see definition of "breach" in Bible Study Dictionaries
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