An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Breme
Breme, ‘edge, border.’ See verbrämen.
Breme, Bremse, feminine, ‘gadfly.’ Compare Middle High German brëme, brëm, Old High German brëmo, ‘gadfly.’ Bremse is Low German for High German Breme; compare Old Low German brimissa, Anglo-Saxon brimse, Middle English brimse. Old High German brëmo would be in Gothic *brima, masculine, Bremse, Gothic *brimisi, feminine. Yet English breeze (horsefly) cannot be cognate, since breósa (and not brimes) is its Anglo-Saxon form. The root of Bremse, discussed under brummen, is brem (pre-Teutonic bhrem, Latin fremere), ‘to buzz, hum,’ whence also Sanscrit bhramara, masculine, ‘bee.’