The Old English root for breech, which is brēc, was actually a plural for a word that referred to leg coverings. You may also recognize that a pirate has breeches, not just regular pants. The word breech has roots in old Germanic languages from before the year 1000, including Old Norse, Old English, and Middle English. A whale is a mammal that is born tail first, so this would be considered a breech birth. When a baby is incorrectly positioned feet first in the womb at delivery, it’s also described as a breech. On the other hand, breech has a few very different uses including “the hinder or lower part of something,” especially when talking about the rear part of the gun that allows the insertion of ammunition. It comes from the Old English bræc for “breaking,” and the Middle English breche. Breach can also be used as a verb, “to make a breach or opening in” or “to break a contract.” (This is the definition lawyers should recognize.)Īnd animal lovers may know it can be used to describe when a whale leaps completely or partially out of the water and returns back to the ocean with a splash.īreach has an old history. The word breach means “the act or result of a breaking” or a “gap, rift, fissure” when used as a noun. We’re about to break down these two easily confused words. One word implies you’re part of a whale-watching tourist group the other that you’re … the whale’s birth coach.Ĭonfused? Don’t be. Heaven forbid we catch a whale breaching and confuse it with breech. But do you know how to spell them correctly? This is a refresher for all of us. Let’s add another pair to the list: breach and breech.Īre you a whale watcher? A lawyer? A gun owner? You might know the definition of these words. Some of the most confused homophones include their/they’re/there affect and effect and complement and compliment. English is full of homophones, or words that have the same pronunciation but vastly different meanings, origins, and spelling.

Define breach