Revised as of
27 Oct 2022
Admittedly, both words are uncommon enough that mistaking one for the other is rather easy. Except, I suspect I’d feel better knowing my breeches were in place when I stormed that breach!
You may also want to explore “Broach versus Brooch” when it comes to whales.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Breach | Breech |
|---|---|
The Storming of Fort Wagner by Kurz & Allison is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the Library of Congress. — Breaching the walls of Fort Wagner. |
Breech of 10-inch Rodmandam Rifled to 8-inches photographed by Junglerot56 is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Yup, looks like a breech to me, yikes! |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: breaches Third person present verb: breaches |
Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: breeches Third person present verb: breeches |
| Noun: An act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct
A gap in a wall, barrier, or defense, especially one made by an attacking army Verb, intransitive:
Verb, transitive:
|
Noun: [Archaic] Buttocks [Ordnance] Rear part of the bore of a gun or the part of the firearm behind the barrel
[Birth] Indicates that part of the baby that appears first [Machinery] End of a block or pulley farthest from the supporting hook or eye [Nautical] Outside angle of a knee in the frame of a ship Verb, transitive: [Ordnance] Fit or furnish a gun with a breech [Archaic] Put a boy into breeches after being in petticoats since birth |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: A clear breach of the regulations. Once more into the breach, dear friends. It was a breach of confidence between the two old friends. I sued for breach of contract. It was a sudden breach between father and son. Verb, intransitive: We were waiting for the whale to breach. Verb, transitive: The river breached its bank. The whale will breach the surface. The changes breached union rules. |
Noun: Get those breeches on! The breech-loader was a great improvement in firearms as it was quicker, easier, and safer to load. You, my boy, are getting way too big for your breeches. Janey! I just got my new riding breeches. Knee breeches are de rigeur, my dear. Verb, transitive: Is that gun breeched yet? |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: nonbreaching, unbreached Noun: breacher, nonbreach |
Adjective: unbreeched Noun: breeching |
| History of the Word: | |
| Its first known use was before 1000.
In Old English, it was spelled brēc In Middle English, it was spelled breeche |
Old English brēc (plural of brōc, of Germanic origin. Related to the Dutch broek), interpreted as a singular form. The original sense was garment covering the loins and thighs, i.e., breeches, hence buttocks in the mid-16th century, later the hind part of anything (late 16th century). |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Breach versus Breech
Apple Dictionary.com
The Free Dictionary: breach
Pinterest Photo Credits
Police Academy Stunt Show – Explosion and Car Flip by Dave Keeshan from Sydney, Australia, (Exploding Car Uploaded by Themeparkgc) is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license and Explosions at Miramar Airshow by Jon Sullivann, PD Photo.org, is in the public domain; both are via Wikimedia Commons.
