v. t. [ OE. abrochen, OF. abrochier. See Broach. ] To set abroach; to let out, as liquor; to broach; to tap. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + broach. ] 1. Broached; in a condition for letting out or yielding liquor, as a cask which is tapped. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hogsheads of ale were set abroach. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: In a state to be diffused or propagated; afoot; astir. “Mischiefs that I set abroach.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + broad. ] 1. At large; widely; broadly; over a wide space; as, a tree spreads its branches abroad. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fox roams far abroad. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Without a certain confine; outside the house; away from one's abode; as, to walk abroad. [ 1913 Webster ]

I went to St. James', where another was preaching in the court abroad. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries; as, we have broils at home and enemies abroad. “Another prince . . . was living abroad.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Before the public at large; throughout society or the world; here and there; widely. [ 1913 Webster ]

He went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter. Mark i. 45. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be abroad. (a) To be wide of the mark; to be at fault; as, you are all abroad in your guess. (b) To be at a loss or nonplused. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OE. acrochen, accrochen, to obtain, OF. acrochier, F. accrocher; à (L. ad) + croc hook (E. crook). ] 1. To hook, or draw to one's self as with a hook. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To usurp, as jurisdiction or royal prerogatives. [ 1913 Webster ]

They had attempted to accroach to themselves royal power. Stubbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. accrochement. ] An encroachment; usurpation. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to hear. ] Communicated orally; oral; -- applied to the esoteric teachings of Aristotle, those intended for his genuine disciples, in distinction from his exoteric doctrines, which were adapted to outsiders or the public generally. Hence: Abstruse; profound. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to hear. ] Same as Acroamatic. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Approached; p. pr. & vb. n. Approaching. ] [ OE. approchen, aprochen, OF. approcher, LL. appropriare, fr. L. ad + propiare to draw near, prope near. ] 1. To come or go near, in place or time; to draw nigh; to advance nearer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city? 2 Sam. xi. 20. [ 1913 Webster ]

But exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Heb. x. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To draw near, in a figurative sense; to make advances; to approximate; as, he approaches to the character of the ablest statesman. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To bring near; to cause to draw near; to advance. [ Archaic ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To come near to in place, time, or character; to draw nearer to; as, to approach the city; to approach my cabin; he approached the age of manhood. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was an admirable poet, and thought even to have approached Homer. Temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mil.) To take approaches to. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. approche. See Approach, v. i. ] 1. The act of drawing near; a coming or advancing near. “The approach of summer.” Horsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

A nearer approach to the human type. Owen. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A access, or opportunity of drawing near. [ 1913 Webster ]

The approach to kings and principal persons. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. Movements to gain favor; advances. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A way, passage, or avenue by which a place or buildings can be approached; an access. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. pl. (Fort.) The advanced works, trenches, or covered roads made by besiegers in their advances toward a fortress or military post. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Hort.) See Approaching. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Golf) A stroke whose object is to land the ball on the putting green. It is made with an iron club. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

8. (Aviation) that part of a flight during which an airplane descends toward the landing strip. [ PJC ]

9. (Bowling) the steps taken by a bowler just before delivering the ball toward the pins. [ PJC. ]

n. The quality of being approachable; approachableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being approached; accessible; as, approachable virtue. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being approachable; accessibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who approaches. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Hort.) The act of ingrafting a sprig or shoot of one tree into another, without cutting it from the parent stock; -- called, also, inarching and grafting by approach. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Impossible to be approached. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. approachement. ] Approach. [ Archaic ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of plants comprising the hoary alyssum.
Syn. -- genus Berteroa. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) A singing bird of northern Europe and Asia (Cyanecula Suecica), related to the nightingales; -- called also blue-throated robin and blue-throated warbler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He turned a broach that had worn a crown. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers. [ Prov. Eng. ] Forby. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Masonry) A broad chisel for stonecutting. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Arch.) A spire rising from a tower. [ Local, Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A clasp for fastening a garment. See Brooch. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A spitlike start, on the head of a young stag. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Broached p. pr. & vb. n. Broaching. ] [ F. brocher, fr. broche. See Broach, n. ] 1. To spit; to pierce as with a spit. [ 1913 Webster ]

I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To tap; to pierce, as a cask, in order to draw the liquor. Hence: To let out; to shed, as blood. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To open for the first time, as stores. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To make public; to utter; to publish first; to put forth; to introduce as a topic of conversation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Those very opinions themselves had broached. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To cause to begin or break out. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Masonry) To shape roughly, as a block of stone, by chiseling with a coarse tool. [ Scot. & North of Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To enlarge or dress (a hole), by using a broach. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A spit; a broach. [ 1913 Webster ]

On five sharp broachers ranked, the roast they turned. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who broaches, opens, or utters; a first publisher or promoter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some such broacher of heresy. Atterbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Broader superl. Broadest. ] [ OE. brod, brad, AS. brād; akin to OS. brēd, D. breed, G. breit, Icel. breiðr, Sw. & Dan. bred, Goth. braids. Cf. Breadth. ] 1. Wide; extend in breadth, or from side to side; -- opposed to narrow; as, a broad street, a broad table; an inch broad. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Extending far and wide; extensive; vast; as, the broad expanse of ocean. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full. “Broad and open day.” Bp. Porteus. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Fig.: Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited; not restrained; -- applied to any subject, and retaining the literal idea more or less clearly, the precise meaning depending largely on the substantive. [ 1913 Webster ]

A broad mixture of falsehood. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hence: - [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged. [ 1913 Webster ]

The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case. D. Daggett. [ 1913 Webster ]

In a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way. E. Everett. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Plain; evident; as, a broad hint. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Free; unrestrained; unconfined. [ 1913 Webster ]

As broad and general as the casing air. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Fine Arts) Characterized by breadth. See Breadth. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humor. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Broad is often used in compounds to signify wide, large, etc.; as, broad-chested, broad-shouldered, broad-spreading, broad-winged. [ 1913 Webster ]

Broad acres. See under Acre. --
Broad arrow, originally a pheon. See Pheon, and Broad arrow under Arrow. --
As broad as long, having the length equal to the breadth; hence, the same one way as another; coming to the same result by different ways or processes. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is as broad as long, whether they rise to others, or bring others down to them. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

Broad pennant. See under Pennant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Wide; large; ample; expanded; spacious; roomy; extensive; vast; comprehensive; liberal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The broad part of anything; as, the broad of an oar. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The spread of a river into a sheet of water; a flooded fen. [ Local, Eng. ] Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A lathe tool for turning down the insides and bottoms of cylinders. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A woman, especially one who is sexually promiscuous; -- usually considered offensive. [ slang ] [ PJC ]

{ } n. 1. An ancient military weapon; a battle-ax. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An ax with a broad edge, for hewing timber. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an Old World upright plant grown esp. for its large flat edible seeds but also as fodder.
Syn. -- broad bean, broad-bean plant, English bean, European bean, field bean, Vicia faba. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. (Zool.) A wild duck (Aythya marila, or Fuligula marila), which appears in large numbers on the eastern coast of the United States, in autumn; -- called also bluebill, blackhead, raft duck, and scaup duck. See Scaup duck. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The shoveler. See Shoveler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A hat with a very broad brim, like those worn by men of the society of Friends. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A member of the society of Friends; a Quaker. [ Sportive ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a broad brim. [ 1913 Webster ]

A broad-brimmed flat silver plate. Tatler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Agric.) A casting or throwing seed in all directions, as from the hand in sowing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. an act of broadcasting; specifically, a program in which sounds or images are transmitted in all directions from a radio or television station; -- usually referring to a scheduled program on a commercial or public service radio or television station, using the normal radio frequencies for those media, in contrast to a radiotelephone conversation, which may also be transmitted in all directions, but is intended for receipt by a base station in the telephone network. [ PJC ]

a. 1. Cast or dispersed in all directions, as seed from the hand in sowing; widely diffused. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Scattering in all directions (as a method of sowing); -- opposed to planting in hills, or rows. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. So as to scatter or be scattered in all directions; so as to spread widely, as seed from the hand in sowing, or news from the press. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. 1. to cast or disperse in all directions, as seed from the hand in sowing; to diffuse widely. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. to transmit (sounds, images, or other signals) in all directions from a radio or television station. [ PJC ]

3. to disseminate (information, a speech, an advertisement, etc.) from a radio or television station. [ PJC ]

4. to spread (information, news, gossip) widely by any means. [ PJC ]

n. 1. someone who broadcasts on radio or television. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a mechanical device for scattering something (seed, fertilizer, sand, salt, etc.) in all directions.
Syn. -- spreader. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the medium that disseminates via telecommunications; radio and television.
Syn. -- broadcast media. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. taking part in a radio or tv program. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

(Eccl.) A portion of the Church of England, consisting of persons who claim to hold a position, in respect to doctrine and fellowship, intermediate between the High Church party and the Low Church, or evangelical, party. The term has been applied to other bodies of men holding liberal or comprehensive views of Christian doctrine and fellowship. [ 1913 Webster ]

Side by side with these various shades of High and Low Church, another party of a different character has always existed in the Church of England. It is called by different names: Moderate, Catholic, or Broad Church, by its friends; Latitudinarian or Indifferent, by its enemies. Its distinctive character is the desire of comprehension. Its watch words are charity and toleration. Conybeare. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A fine smooth-faced woolen cloth for men's garments, usually of double width (i.e., a yard and a half); -- so called in distinction from woolens three quarters of a yard wide. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Broadened p. pr. & vb. n. Broadening ] [ From Broad, a. ] To grow broad; to become broader or wider. [ 1913 Webster ]

The broadening sun appears. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make broad or broader; to render more broad or comprehensive. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Railroad) A wider distance between the rails than the “standard” gauge of four feet eight inches and a half. See Gauge. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having a broad head. [ Narrower terms: brachycephalic (vs. dolichocephalic), brachycranal, brachycranic ]
Syn. -- roundheaded, short-headed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Having horns spreading widely. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Rather broad; moderately broad. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A tree (Terminalia latifolia) of Jamaica, the wood of which is used for boards, scantling, shingles, etc; -- sometimes called the almond tree, from the shape of its fruit. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Having broad, or relatively broad, leaves, in contrast to needlelike or scalelike leaves. Keats. [ Narrower terms: deciduous (vs. evergreen) ] [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a broad manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. incapable of being shocked. Opposite of shockable.
Syn. -- unshockable. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. inclined to respect views and beliefs that differ from one's own. Opposite of narrow-minded. [ Narrower terms: free-thinking, latitudinarian, undogmatic, undogmatical ]
Syn. -- broadminded, broad, liberal, tolerant, open-minded, open. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) One of the Eurylaimidæ, a family of East Indian passerine birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. brādnes. ] The condition or quality of being broad; breadth; coarseness; grossness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An old English gold coin, broader than a guinea, as a Carolus or Jacobus. [ 1913 Webster ]