n. [brjóta, cp. O. H. G. broti = fragilitas], gener. a broken piece, fragment:

1. esp. in pl., gimsteina brot, 623. 20, 544. 39; brota-silfr, old silver broken to be recast; nú eru tekin Grásíðu brot, Gísl. 18; gullhringrinn stökk í tvá hluti, ok þá er ek hugða at brotunum …, Ld. 126; trogs brotin, 655 xxi; brutu bar í Víkinni ok ætluðu at göra sér skip ór brotunum (a wrecked ship), Grett. 88: in the compds um-brot, fjör-brot, a hard struggle, convulsions, agony; land-brot, desolation of land by sea or rivers.

2. metaph. only in pl. violation; lagabrot, breach of law; mis-brot, af-brot, transgression, freq. in theol. writers: arithm. fractions; tuga-brot, decimals, etc.

3. sing. breaking, bein-brot, q. v.; sigla til brots, to run ashore under full sail, Eg. 405 (skips-brot); cp. haugs-brot, hrygg-brot.

β. a fragment; sögu-brot, the fragment of a tale, story; bókar-brot, the fragment of a MS. and the like.

γ. a shallow place in a river, a firth, where the stream breaks and widens, Grág. ii. 346.

δ. medic. in the phrase, falla brot, to have an epileptic fit; for the etymology see brotfall below: it is not qs. braut (away) because it is constantly spelt with an o, even in MSS. that give ‘braut’ constantly, e. g. the Miracle-book, Bs. i. 332–356; hann féll í brot, ok vissi þá ekki til sín löngum, 335, 336: a skin eruption (út-brot).

ε. a sort of sledge of felled trees = broti; lét hann þá færa undir hann brot (a lever?) ok við þetta kómu þeir honum upp ór dysinni, Eb. 315, Mar. 89 (Fr.)