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break·a·way

(brākə-wā′)

adj.

1. Designed to break, bend, or fall apart easily upon impact, especially to create an illusion, as with a theater prop, or for safety, as with a highway sign or barrier.

2. Severing or having severed alliance with another entity, policy, or attitude: a group of breakaway political reformers.

1. One that breaks away.

2. The act of breaking away, especially:

a. An offensive play in a team sport such as ice hockey in which a player with the ball or puck advances ahead of the defenders toward the goal.

b. A burst of speed by a competitor or group of competitors in a race to break free of the pack.

3. An object designed to break away.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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