Breeze
mid 16th century: probably from Old Spanish and Portuguese briza ‘NE wind’ (the original sense in English).
wiktionary
From the earlier (nautical) term brise, brize(“breeze”), from Middle English brees(“wind”). Ultimate origin obscure.
Variously supposed to derive from a Germanic source like Saterland Frisian Briese(“breeze”), West Frisian brys(“a cool wind”), Dutch bries(“breeze”), early Dutch brysen(“to blow cool and fresh”), or from Spanish brisa(“northeast wind”). [1] [2]
The earliest attestations are in Middle English brees (1460), Catalan brisa, and Italian brezza (all in 15th century), with Spanish (1504) and Portuguese briza (16th century) following closely after. The aforementioned Dutch cognates and French brise, however, are attested later than the term in English. The only internal hypothesis for any of those languages is a corruption of Old Occitan bisa(“strong wind”), which is not widely accepted.
Compare also Albanian breshër(“hail”).
From Middle English brese, from Old English brēosa, variant of Old English brimsa(“gadfly”), from Proto-Germanic *bremusī(“gadfly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerem-(“to make a noise, buzz, hum”). Cognate with Dutch brems(“horsefly, warblefly”), German Bremse(“gadfly, horsefly”), Danish bremse(“gadfly, horsefly”), Swedish broms(“gadfly, horsefly”). Related also to Middle English brimse(“gadfly”), French brize(“gadfly”), Old English bremman(“to rage, roar”), Latin fremō(“roar, snort, growl, grumble”). See also bream.
etymonline
breeze (n.)
1560s, "moderate north or northeast wind," from Old Spanish briza "cold northeast wind;" in West Indies and Spanish Main, the sense shifting to "northeast trade wind," then "brisk, fresh wind from the sea." English sense of "gentle or light wind" is from 1620s. An alternative possibility is that the English word is from East Frisian brisen "to blow fresh and strong." The slang sense of "something easy" is American English, c. 1928.
breeze (v.)
1680s, "blow gently," from breeze (n.). Meaning "move briskly" is from 1904. Related: Breezed; breezing.
