Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BRONZ'ING, ppr.

Imitating bronze.

BRONZ'ITE, n. [from bronze.]

A mineral, called by Haüy diallage metalloïde, nearly allied to Labrador hornblend, or hyperstene. It has a yellowish brown color and semi-metallic luster, approaching to that of bronze. – Dict. Bronzite is regarded by Cleaveland as a subspecies of diallage.

BROOCH, n. [broche; Slav. obrutsh, or obruch, a ring, a circle, a bracelet.]

1. An ornamental utensil for fastening the vest, or the bosom of a shirt, as formerly used in America. It is usually made of silver, often round, with a tongue crossing its diameter, sometimes with two tongues. It formerly was used in England, as it was in America, and is still in the highlands of Scotland. – Encyc.
2. A jewel.
3. With painters, a painting all of one color. – Dict.

BROOCH, v.t.

To adorn or furnish with brooches or jewels. – Shak.

BROOD, n. [Sax. brod.]

1. Offspring; progeny; formerly used of human beings in elegant works, and we have brother, from this word; but it is now more generally used in contempt.
2. A hatch; the young birds hatched at once; as, a brood of chickens or of ducks.
3. That which is bred; species generated; that which is produced. Libya's broods of poison. – Addison.
4. The act of covering the eggs, or of brooding. [Unusual.] – Shak.

BROOD, v.i. [Sax. brod, a brood; and brædan, bredan, to dilate or extend, to warm, to divulge, to spread; D. broeden, to brood; Ger. brüten, to brood; brut, brood; W. brwd, warm; brydiaw, to warm. The sense is, to warm, or to cover, to spread over.]

1. To sit on and cover, as a fowl on her eggs for the purpose of warming them and hatching chickens, or as a hen over her chickens, to warm and protect them.
2. To sit on; to spread over, as with wings; as, to sit brooding over the vast abyss. – Milton.
3. To remain a long time in anxiety or solicitous thought; to have the mind uninterruptedly dwell a long time on a subject; as, the miser broods over his gold. – Dryden.
4. To mature any thing with care. – Bacon.

BROOD, v.t.

1. To sit over, cover and cherish; as, a hen broods her chickens.
2. To cherish. You'll brood your sorrows on a throne. – Dryden.

BROOD'ED, pp.

Covered with the wings; cherished.

BROOD'ING, ppr.

Sitting on; covering and warming; dwelling on with anxiety.

BROOD'Y, a.

In a state of sitting on eggs for hatching; inclined to sit. [Unusual.] – Ray.

BROOK, n. [Sax. broc, or brooc. As the sense is a stream or flowing, it may be the D. broek, G. bruch, a marsh, and allied to Gr. βρεχω, or βρυω, to rain, to pour, to flow, Eolic βρυαξ, a brook. Near the site of ancient Troy is a stream called Thymbrec, Thymbrius.]

A small natural stream of water, or a current flowing from a spring or fountain less than a river. In some parts of America, run is used in a like sense; but run is also applied to larger streams than brook.

BROOK, v.t. [Sax. brucan, to use, employ or perform, to eat or chew; bræcen, brecan, to break; Gr. βρυχω, to eat, to grind the teeth.]

Literally, to chew or digest, as the Fr. digerir. Hence, To bear; to endure; to support; as, young men cannot brook restraint. – Hooker. Dryden.

BROOK'LET, n.

A small brook.

BROOK'-LIME, n. [brook and lime.]

A plant, a species of Veronica, called Beccabunga, with blue flowers in loose lateral spikes. – Encyc.

BROOK'-MINT, n.

The water mint.

BROOK'WEED, n.

A plant, water pimpernel, the Samolus. – Muhlenberg.

BROOK'Y, a.

Abounding with brooks. – Dyer.

BROOM, n. [See BREAM, n. and v.]

BROOM, n. [Sax. brum; D. brem, braam; Ir. brum. This is the simple root of Bramble.]

1. A plant of several species, called dyer's weed, being used by dyers to give a yellow color, dyer's broom, green wood, or wood waxen, dwarf broom, all belonging to the genus Genista. Broom rape is Orobanche, and with large purple flowers, Lathræa. – Fam. of Plants. Spanish broom is a species of Spartium, and Butcher's broom is the Ruscus.
2. A besom, or brush with a long handle for sweeping floors; so called from being originally made of the broom-plant. In America, brooms are made of the tops of broom-corn, or of some species of wood splintered, chiefly ash. The latter species of broom is furnished by the natives of the country. The original broom, made of shrubs or twigs, is still used in stables.

BROOM'-CORN, n. [broom and corn.]

A species of Sorghum or Guinea-corn, with a jointed stem, like a reed, or the stem of maiz, rising to the highth of eight or ten feet, bearing a head of which brooms are made. It is the Sorghum saccharatum.

BROOM'ING, n.

a ship. [See BREAM, n.]

BROOM'LAND, n. [broom and land.]

Land producing broom. – Mortimer.

BROOM'RAPE, n.

See BROOM.

BROOM'STAFF, or BROOM'STICK, n. [See Staff and Stick.]

The staff or handle of a broom. – Shak. Swift.

BROOM'Y, a.

Full of broom; containing broom. – Mortimer. Swift.