abreast (adv.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict[abreast 词源字典]
mid-15c., on brest, from a- (1) + breast (n.); the notion is of "with breasts in line." To keep abreast in figurative sense of "stay up-to-date" is from 1650s.[abreast etymology, abreast origin, 英语词源]