broach
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broach¹
- /bɹəʊtʃ/ UK
- /bɹoʊt͡ʃ/ US
Sounds like brooch · Rhymes with -əʊtʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originally a feminine form of Latin broccus, perhaps ultimately of Gaulish origin (see Scottish Gaelic bròg). Doublet of brochure.
noun broaches
- A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
- A broad chisel for stone-cutting.
- Alternative spelling of brooch Mr. S. had a large straw hat, and striped jacket and trousers, and his shirt fastened at the throat by a broach with Carry's hair, for he was always quite above wearing a neckcloth.
- A spit for cooking food. He turned a broach that had worn a crown.
- An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers. It [the straw] is laid on to a considerable thickness and firmly secured by ropes or twisted straw, and pinned down by sharpened sticks called 'broaches'
- 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 broaches · broaching · broached
- To make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid. How often has the broached barrel proved not to be for joy and heart effusion, but for duel and head-breakage.
- To open, to make an opening into; to pierce. French knights at Agincourt were unable to broach the English line.
-
To begin discussion about (something).
I broached the subject of contraceptives carefully when the teenager mentioned his promiscuity.
Similar: spring
broach²
- /bɹəʊtʃ/ UK
- /bɹoʊt͡ʃ/ US
Sounds like brooch · Rhymes with -əʊtʃ
verb broaches · broaching · broached
- To be turned sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves. The small boat broached and nearly sank, because of the large waves.
- To cause to turn sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves (usually followed by to; also figurative). 18th C, Thomas Dibdin, Tom Bowling Here a sheer hulk lies poor Tom Bowling ... for death hath broached him to.
- To break the surface of the water. Diving officer, broach the ship!
Broach³
proper noun Broaches
- A surname.
Broach⁴
Where it comes from
From Gujarati ભરૂચ (bharūc).
proper noun
- Obsolete form of Bharuch
Translations
Every language
verb make a hole in
| Español | espitar |
|---|---|
| Français | perforer, percer un tonneau |
| Deutsch | anzapfen |
verb begin discussion about
| Español | sacar a colación, plantear, sacar a relucir, sacar el tema, traer a colación |
|---|---|
| Français | aborder |
| Deutsch | ansprechen, aufbringen |
| العربية | فَاتَحَ fātaḥa |
Talk about this word "broach." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/broach. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. broach. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/broach "broach." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/broach.Cite this
@misc{broach_2026,
title = {broach},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/broach},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
