broil

[broil]

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verb (used with object)

to cook by direct heat, as on a gridiron over the heat or in an oven under the heat; grill: to broil a steak.

to scorch; make very hot.

verb (used without object)

to be subjected to great heat; become broiled.

to burn with impatience, annoyance, etc.

noun

the act or state of broiling; state of being broiled.

something broiled, especially meat: She ordered a beef broil and salad.

Origin of broil

1300–50; Middle English brulen, brolyn, broillen < Anglo-French bruill(i)er, broil(l)er, Old French brusler, brul(l)er to burn (French brûler), a conflation of the verbs represented by Old French bruir to burn (< Frankish *brōjan; compare Middle High German brü(ej)en, German brühen to scald) and usler < Latin ustulāre to scorch

Related formsbroil·ing·ly, adverb

broil

[broil]

noun

an angry quarrel or struggle; disturbance; tumult: a violent broil over who was at fault.

verb (used without object)

to quarrel; brawl.

Origin of broil

1400–50; late Middle English broylen to present in disorder, quarrel < Anglo-French, Old French broiller to jumble together < Gallo-Romance *brodiculāre, equivalent to *brod- (< Germanic; see broth, brewis) + Late Latin -iculāre v. suffix

Related formsbroil·ing·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for broil

sear, melt, roast, swelter, burn, scorch

Examples from the Web for broil

Contemporary Examples of broil

But meat is very forgiving; just broil, cut into chunks, put in the slow cooker insert, and pop in the fridge.
Your Friday Gadget Chef Recipe: Two Day Soup
Megan McArdle
November 9, 2012
From the former, I learned that you can broil pot roast instead of browning it in a skillet.
Your Friday Gadget Chef Recipe: Two Day Soup
Megan McArdle
November 9, 2012
Cook at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or broil quickly until the brittle has melted to give a smooth covering.
Sweet Brits
Lydia Brownlow
April 4, 2011
Grill or broil, turning occasionally, until the skins are black and blistered.
Into the Heart of Turkey
Sophie Menin
September 28, 2010

Historical Examples of broil

Or you may cut it into three pieces and broil it without splitting.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Broil them over a clear fire, and see that the bread does not burn.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Broil them about three quarters of an hour, keeping them covered with a plate.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Why, marry, I can brew a bowl of punch, and I can broil a devilled fowl.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
You may split them or broil them whole; pepper and salt them well.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;
Charlotte Campbell Bury

British Dictionary definitions for broil

broil

verb

mainly US and Canadian to cook (meat, fish, etc) by direct heat, as under a grill or over a hot fire, or (of meat, fish, etc) to be cooked in this wayUsual equivalent (in Britain and other countries): grill

to become or cause to become extremely hot

(intr) to be furious

noun

the process of broiling

something broiled

Word Origin for broil

C14: from Old French bruillir to burn, of uncertain origin

broil

noun

a loud quarrel or disturbance; brawl

verb

(intr) to brawl; quarrel

Word Origin for broil

C16: from Old French brouiller to mix, from breu broth; see brewis, brose

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 broil

v.1

"to cook," late 14c. (earlier "to burn," mid-14c.), from Old French bruller "to broil, roast" (Modern French brûler), earlier brusler "to burn" (11c.), which, with Italian bruciare, is of uncertain and much-disputed origin.

Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *brodum "broth," borrowed from Germanic and ultimately related to brew (v.). Gamillscheg proposes it to be from Latin ustulare "to scorch, singe" (from ustus, past participle of urere "to burn") and altered by influence of Germanic "burn" words beginning in br-. Related: Broiled; broiling.

v.2

early 15c., "to quarrel, brawl," also "mix up, present in disorder," from Anglo-French broiller "mix up, confuse," Old French brooillier "to mix, mingle," figuratively "to have sexual intercourse" (13c., Modern French brouiller), perhaps from breu, bro "stock, broth, brew," from Frankish or another Germanic source (cf. Old High German brod "broth") akin to broth (see brew (v.)); also compare imbroglio.