brecan

Old English

brecan

to break
Synonyms: brēatan, berstan, brēotan, brīetan
to break into a place
- c. 893, Alfred the Great, Doom Book
  Ġif þēof brece mannes hūs nihtes and hē weorðe þǣr ofslæġen, ne sīe hē nā mansleġes sċyldiġ. Ġif hē siþþan æfter sunnan upgange þis dēþ, hē biþ mansleġes sċyldiġ, and hē þonne self swelte, būtan hē nīeddǣda wǣre.
  If a robber breaks into someone's house at night and the homeowner kills them, the homeowner is not guilty of murder. But if they do this after sunrise, they are guilty of murder, and they will die too, unless they acted out of necessity.

Conjugation of brecan (strong class 4)