Brohte

Brohte is a historical term used in the study of Middle English orthography to refer to a specific spelling variant of the past participle of the verb to bring. In modern editions of medieval texts, the form is usually normalized to brought. The form brohte appears in a small corpus of documents dating roughly from the 12th to the 14th centuries and is most often associated with northern and Midland dialects, though its occurrences are relatively rare.

Etymology and form: Brohte is understood by scholars as an orthographic variant of the same morpheme as brought. It likely arose from scribal conventions and phonetic influences that varied by region and period. It is not considered a separate word with a different meaning; rather, it represents a spelling alternative that ultimately gave way to the standard modern form.

Attestation and usage: The evidence for brohte comes from a limited number of manuscripts, charters, and literary fragments. Because the form is infrequent, it is primarily of interest to specialists studying dialectal variation, scribal practices, and the orthographic history of English during the Middle English era.

Significance: In linguistic and philological contexts, brohte serves as an example of historical spelling variation and the process by which English orthography shifted toward the modern representation. It helps illustrate how regional scribes recorded the same verb form differently, contributing to broader discussions of standardization and dialectal diversity in medieval England.

See also: Brought, Middle English orthography, Old English, Middle English dialects.