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breeze¹

(brēz)

1. A light current of air; a gentle wind.

2. Any of five winds with speeds of from 4 to 27 knots (5 to 31 miles per hour; 7 to 50 kilometers per hour), according to the Beaufort scale.

3. Informal Something, such as a task, that is easy to do.

intr.v. breezed, breez·ing, breez·es

1. To move quickly, smoothly, or easily: breezing along on the freeway.

2. To progress swiftly or easily: We breezed through the test.

[Perhaps from Old Spanish briza, northeast wind.]

Synonyms: breeze¹, cakewalk, cinch, pushover, snap
These nouns denote something easily accomplished: The exam was a breeze. This election promises to be a cakewalk. Chopping onions is a cinch with a food processor. The playoffs turned out to be a pushover. The new computer program was a snap to learn.

breeze²

(brēz)

The refuse left when coke or charcoal is made.

[Probably from French braise, hot coals, from Old French brese, of Germanic origin; see bhreu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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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