broach

[ brohch ]

/ broʊtʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR broach ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Machinery. an elongated, tapered, serrated cutting tool for shaping and enlarging holes.

a spit for roasting meat.

a gimlet for tapping casks.

(in a lock) a pin receiving the barrel of a key.

Also broach spire. Architecture. an octagonal spire rising directly from a tower without any intervening feature.

Masonry. a pointed tool for the rough dressing of stone.

brooch.

verb (used with object)

to enlarge and finish with a broach.

to mention or suggest for the first time: to broach a subject.

to draw (beer, liquor, etc.), as by tapping: to broach beer from a keg.

to tap or pierce.

Masonry. to shape or dress (a block of stone).

verb (used without object)

Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to veer to windward.

to break the surface of water; rise from the sea, as a fish or a submarine.

Nearby words

brno, brno chair, bro, bro talk, bro., broach, broaching, broad, broad arrow, broad bean, broad church

Origin of broach

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English broche < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *brocca spike, horn, tap of a cask (Medieval Latin broca), noun use of feminine of Latin adj. brocc(h)us projecting (said of teeth); (v.) Middle English brochen < Old French broch(i)er, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR broach

8 introduce, propose, bring up, submit, advance.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR broach ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsbroach·er, nounun·broached, adjective

Can be confusedbroach brooch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for broach

Woven into the very fabric of its characters, Masters uses sex to broach bigger topics.
What Porn Stars Find Sexy on TV: From ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Deadliest Catch’|Aurora Snow|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
CEO Mark Thompson for his advice on how she should broach the subject with Baquet and try to get his assent.
Fired New York Times Editor Jill Abramson Blitzes the Media|Lloyd Grove|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of his supporters remain so passionate that the subject can be difficult to broach.
In Greg Mortenson's Silence, His Neighbors Defend Him, or Vilify Him|Mike Giglio|June 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Now as always, Republicans need bipartisan cover to broach the subject of serious budget cutting.
How Obama Can Win the Budget Fight|Ed Kilgore|March 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST

But to broach the real state of the matter had been altogether too terrible for him.
Kipps|H. G. Wells
There was no one else with whom I could have summoned resolution to broach that topic.
When Life Was Young|C. A. Stephens
The boat did not capsize when she filled, neither did she broach to, her head was always direct for the shore.
The Cruise of the 'Alerte'|E. F. Knight
Do you know”—she still hesitated to broach this subject with the man—“do you know where—Major Fayne has gone?
The Haunting of Low Fennel|Sax Rohmer
A long conversation ensued before Miss Thorne could bring herself to broach the delicate subject.
Continental Monthly , Vol IV, Issue VI, December 1863|Various

British Dictionary definitions for broach (1 of 2)

broach

/ (brəʊtʃ) /

verb

(tr) to initiate (a topic) for discussionto broach a dangerous subject

(tr) to tap or pierce (a container) to draw off (a liquid)to broach a cask; to broach wine

(tr) to open in order to begin to useto broach a shipment

(intr) to break the surface of the waterthe trout broached after being hooked

(tr) machinery to enlarge and finish (a hole) by reaming

noun

a long tapered toothed cutting tool for enlarging holes

a spit for roasting meat, etc

a roof covering the corner triangle on the top of a square tower having an octagonal spire

a pin, forming part of some types of lock, that registers in the hollow bore of a key

a tool used for tapping casks

a less common spelling of brooch

Derived Formsbroacher, noun

Word Origin for broach

C14: from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin brocca (unattested), from Latin brochus projecting

British Dictionary definitions for broach (2 of 2)

broach

/ (brəʊtʃ) /

verb

nautical (usually foll by to) to cause (a sailing vessel) to swerve sharply and dangerously or (of a sailing vessel) to swerve sharply and dangerously in a following sea, so as to be broadside to the waves

Word Origin for broach

C18: perhaps from broach 1 in obsolete sense of turn on a spit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for broach (1 of 2)

broach

"pointed instrument," c.1300, from Old French broche (12c.) "spit for roasting, awl, point end, top," from Vulgar Latin *brocca "pointed tool," noun use of fem. of Latin adjective broccus "projecting, pointed" (used especially of teeth), perhaps of Gaulish origin (cf. Gaelic brog "awl").

Word Origin and History for broach (1 of 2)

broach

"pierce," early 14c., from the same source as broach (n.). Meaning "begin to talk about" is 1570s, a figurative use with suggestions of "broaching" a cask or of spurring into action (cf. Old French brochier, 12c., "to spur," also "to penetrate sexually"). Related: Broached broaching.

broach

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of broach

Examples from the Web for broach

British Dictionary definitions for broach (1 of 2)

broach

verb

noun

Word Origin for broach

British Dictionary definitions for broach (2 of 2)

broach

verb

Word Origin for broach

Word Origin and History for broach (1 of 2)

broach

Word Origin and History for broach (1 of 2)

broach

Medicine definitions for broach

broach

n.