Old English bringan "to bear, convey, take along in coming; bring forth, produce, present, offer" (past tense brohte, past participle broht), from Proto-Germanic *brangjanan (source also of Old Frisian branga "attest, declare, assure," Middle Dutch brenghen, Old High German bringan, German bringen, Gothic briggan). There are no exact cognates outside Germanic, but it appears to be from PIE *bhrengk- (source also of Welsh he-brwng "bring"), which, according to Watkins, isbased on root *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear children," but Boutkan writes, "We are probably dealing with a Germanic/Celtic substratum word."
The tendency to conjugate this as a strong verb on the model of sing, drink, etc., is ancient: Old English also had a rare strong past participle form, brungen, corresponding to modern colloquial brung.
To bring about "effect, accomplish" is from late 14c. To bring down is from c. 1300 as "cause to fall," 1530s as "humiliate," 1590s as "to reduce, lessen." To bring down the house figuratively (1754) is to elicit applause so thunderous it collapses the theater roof. To bring forth "produce," as young or fruit is from c. 1200. To bring up is from late 14c. as "to rear, nurture;" 1875 as "introduce to consideration." To bring up the rear "move onward at the rear" is by 1708.
Old English forð "forward, onward, farther; continually;" as a preposition, "during," perfective of fore, from Proto-Germanic *furtha- "forward" (source also of Old Frisian, Old Saxon forth "forward, onward," Old Norse forð, Dutch voort, German fort), from extended form of PIE root *per- (1) "forward." The construction in and so forth was in Old English.
verbal phrase, mid-13c. (intrans.), "express openly, present to view or consideration, make fully known;" c. 1400 as "leave, begin a journey" (set out in the same sense is from late 14c.); see set (v.) + forth (adv.). The notion of set involved in it is "proceed in a specified direction," hence begin to move" (attested from late Old English). From late 14c. as "prepare and send out, issue" (a commandment, etc.). Of a price from 1520s. Intransitive sense of "go, advance, begin to march" is from mid-14c.
"about to give birth," literally or figuratively, 1590s, from Latin parturientem (nominative parturiens), present participle of parturire "be in labor," literally "desire to bring forth," desiderative of parire "to bring forth, bear, produce, create; bring about, accomplish" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, bring forth"). Related: Parturiency.
also postpartum, 1837, "occurring after the birth of a child," from Latin post partum "after birth," from post "after" (see post-) + accusative of partus "a bearing, a bringing forth," from partus, past participle of parire "to bring forth, bear, produce, create; bring about, accomplish" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, bring forth"). Phrase post-partum depression is attested by 1929.
"of or pertaining to childbirth; about to give birth," 1768, with -al (1) + Latin puerperus "bringing forth children; bearing a child" (as a noun, "woman in labor"), from puer "child, boy" (see puerility) + parire "to bring forth, bear, produce, create; bring about, accomplish," from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, bring forth"). Earlier puerperial (1620s); puarpure (c. 1500). Related: Puerperally.
early 15c., producen, "develop, proceed, extend, lengthen out," from Latin producere "lead or bring forth, draw out," figuratively "to promote, empower; stretch out, extend," from pro "before, forth" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before, forth") + ducere "to bring, lead" (from PIE root *deuk- "to lead").
The sense of "bring into being or existence" is from late 15c. That of "put (a play) on stage" is from 1580s. Of animals or plants, "generate, bear, bring forth, give birth to," 1520s. The meaning "cause, effect, or bring about by mental or physical labor" is from 1630s. In political economy, "create value; bring goods, manufactures, etc. into a state in which they will command a price," by 1827. Related: Produced; producing.
"to rise from or out of anything that surrounds, covers, or conceals; come forth; appear, as from concealment," 1560s, from French émerger and directly from Latin emergere "bring forth, bring to light," intransitively "arise out or up, come forth, come up, come out, rise," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + mergere "to dip, sink" (see merge). The notion is of rising from a liquid by virtue of buoyancy. Related: Emerged; emerging.
