BROACH

brooch, broach, breastpin

(noun) a decorative pin worn by women

broach, initiate

(verb) bring up a topic for discussion

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

broach (plural broaches)

A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.

(masonry) A broad chisel for stone-cutting.

Alternative spelling of brooch

A spit for cooking food.

An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers.

(architecture, UK, dialect) A spire rising from a tower.

A spit-like start on the head of a young stag.

The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping.

The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.

Verb

broach (third-person singular simple present broaches, present participle broaching, simple past and past participle broached)

(transitive) To make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid.

(transitive) To open, to make an opening into; to pierce.

(transitive, figuratively) To begin discussion about (something).

Etymology 2

Verb

broach (third-person singular simple present broaches, present participle broaching, simple past and past participle broached)

(intransitive) To be turned sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves.

(transitive) To cause to turn sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves (usually followed by to; also figurative).

Proper noun

Broach (plural Broaches)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Broach is the 13230th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2309 individuals. Broach is most common among White (80.9%) and Black/African American (14.98%) individuals.

Source: Wiktionary


Broach, n. Etym: [OE. broche, F. broche, fr. LL. brocca; prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. proc thrust, stab, Gael. brog awl. Cf. Brooch.]

1. A spit. [Obs.] He turned a broach that had worn a crown. Bacon.

2. An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers. [Prov. Eng.] Forby.

3. (Mech.) (a) A tool of steel, generally tapering, and of a polygonal form, with from four to eight cutting edges, for smoothing or enlarging holes in metal; sometimes made smooth or without edges, as for burnishing pivot holes in watches; a reamer. The broach for gun barrels is commonly square and without taper. (b) A straight tool with file teeth, made of steel, to be pressed through irregular holes in metal that cannot be dressed by revolving tools; a drift.

4. (Masonry)

Definition: A broad chisel for stonecutting.

5. (Arch.)

Definition: A spire rising from a tower. [Local, Eng.]

6. A clasp for fastening a garment. See Brooch.

7. A spitlike start, on the head of a young stag.

8. The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping. Knight.

9. The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.

Broach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Broached; p. pr. & vb. n. Broaching.] Etym: [F. brocher, fr. broche. See Broach, n.]

1. To spit; to pierce as with a spit. I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point. Shak.

2. To tap; to pierce, as a cask, in order to draw the liquor. Hence: To let out; to shed, as blood. Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade, He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast. Shak.

3. To open for the first time, as stores. You shall want neither weapons, victuals, nor aid; I will open the old armories, I will broach my store, and will bring forth my stores. Knolles.

4. To make public; to utter; to publish first; to put forth; to introduce as a topic of conversation. Those very opinions themselves had broached. Swift.

5. To cause to begin or break out. [Obs.] Shak.

6. (Masonry)

Definition: To shape roughly, as a block of stone, by chiseling with a coarse tool. [Scot. & North of Eng.]

7. To enlarge or dress (a hole), by using a broach. To broach to (Naut.), to incline suddenly to windward, so as to lay the sails aback, and expose the vessel to the danger of oversetting.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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