Frangere

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To break or shatter something physically; to defeat or overcome an opponent; to violate or infringe a rule or promise
2. To cause something to snap or split apart; to conquer or subdue in conflict; to breach or fail to uphold an agreement or law
3. To crack or rupture an object by force; to triumph over adversaries; to break a vow or regulatory guideline

Etymology: "Frangere" is the Latin verb meaning "to break" or "to break apart," and it is the source of a surprising family of English words that look nothing alike on the surface. Its past participle "fractus" gave English "fracture," "fraction," and "fractious," and the Latin verb itself reached English through French words like "frangible," meaning able to be broken. The verb belongs to the Proto-Indo-European root "*bhreg-," which also produced Old English "brecan," the source of modern "break," so the two words are cousins that took different routes into the language. The sense of breaking in "fraction" and "fracture" is literal, but "fractious" shows a move toward the figurative. Its earlier meaning was "quarrelsome" or "unruly," as a horse or child might be when it resists control, so a fractious person is one who is, in a sense, breaking away from order. This shift from a physical snapping to a temperament is the most striking change in the family.

Synonyms: break, shatter, crack, fracture, rupture

Antonyms: mend, repair, fix, heal, restore