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Broaden

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broaden¹

  • [ˈbɹɔː.dn̩] UK
  • [ˈbɹɑ.dn̩] cot caught merger
  • [ˈbɹɔ.dn̩]
  • [ˈbɹoː.dn̩] Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɔːdən

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-der.?

Proto-Germanic *braidaz

Proto-West Germanic *braid

Old English brād

Middle English brod

English broad

English -en

English broaden

From broad + -en (verbal suffix).

verb broadens · broadening · broadened

  1. transitive To make broad or broader. broaden one’s knowledge
  2. intransitive To become broad or broader. The roads gradually broadened as we drove into the countryside.

Broaden²

Where it comes from

Perhaps a topographic surname for someone who lived in a broad valley, from Old English brād (“broad”) + dene (“valley”). Alternatively, it could be a variant of the surname Braden.

proper noun Broadens

  1. A surname from Old English.

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