breiðr

Breiðr is a historical form from Old Norse used as an adjective meaning "broad" or "wide." It occurs in medieval Norse prose and poetry, typically modifying nouns for landforms, objects, or bodily features; like other adjectives in Old Norse, it inflects for gender, number, and case.

The etymology traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *braidaz, giving cognates across Germanic languages, such as Old English brād ("broad"), Dutch breed, and German breit. The spread of this root across Germanic tongues reflects a common concept of width in early Europe.

In toponymy, breið- appears in Icelandic place names, often describing geographic features. Examples include Breiðafjörður, meaning "Broad Fjord," and Breiðholt, a district name indicating a broad-hilled area. Similar forms appear in other Nordic toponyms, underscoring the adjective’s descriptive function.

In modern Icelandic the direct descendant is breiður, the standard adjective for "broad" in masculine singular, with corresponding forms for other genders and cases. The word remains a common descriptor in Icelandic, and its cognate forms survive in related Nordic languages.

See also: Old Norse language, Icelandic language, Germanic languages.