broad

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /bɹɔd/ UK /bɹɔːd/ See IPA manual

Freq #4568

Meanings

1

adj
Very wide.

The house had a broad lawn at the front.
2

adj
Covering a wide range of things; general rather than detailed.

The course gives you a broad understanding of the subject.
3

adj
(of an accent) strong and clearly showing where someone is from.

She spoke with a broad southern accent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · very wide. wide

2 adj · covering a wide range of... unspecific

Opposites

all-encompassing comprehensive narrow skinny slender thin

Word family

Forms broaderbroadestbroads

Derived forms broadlandbroadsman

Related forms bradfordbradleybradshaw

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

broad arrow
an arrowhead-shaped mark traditionally used to identify British government property

Adjective + noun
broad hint
an indirect suggestion that is nevertheless easy to understand

Adjective + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

in broad daylight
openly and where people can clearly see it, especially during the daytime

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-der.? Proto-Germanic *braidaz Proto-West Germanic *braid Old English brād Middle English brod English broad From Middle English brood, brode, from Old English brād (“broad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide, ample, copious”), from Proto-West Germanic *braid, from Proto-Germanic *braidaz (“broad, wide”), of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola brode (“broad”), North Frisian bread, breeđ, briad, briid, briidj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian breed (“broad, wide”), Bavarian brad, broad (“broad, wide”), Central Franconian and Luxembou…

brood Middle English brād Old English *braid Proto-West Germanic *braidaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# broad

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /bɹɔd/
**IPA (UK):** /bɹɔːd/
**Frequency rank:** 4568

## Meanings
1. Very wide.
2. Covering a wide range of things; general rather than detailed.
3. (of an accent) strong and clearly showing where someone is from.

## Examples
- The house had a broad lawn at the front.
- The course gives you a broad understanding of the subject.
- She spoke with a broad southern accent.

## Antonyms
- all-encompassing
- comprehensive
- narrow
- skinny
- slender
- thin

## Derived Forms
- broadland
- broadsman

## Related Forms
- bradford
- bradley
- bradshaw

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: brood
- Root: brād
- Root: *braid
- Root: *braidaz

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-der.? Proto-Germanic *braidaz Proto-West Germanic *braid Old English brād Middle English brod English broad From Middle English brood, brode, from Old English brād (“broad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide, ample, copious”), from Proto-West Germanic *braid, from Proto-Germanic *braidaz (“broad, wide”), of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola brode (“broad”), North Frisian bread, breeđ, briad, briid, briidj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian breed (“broad, wide”), Bavarian brad, broad (“broad, wide”), Central Franconian and Luxembou…

## AI Etymology
Broad comes from Middle English brood, brode, from Old English brād (“broad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide, ample, copious”), from Proto-West Germanic *braid, from Proto-Germanic *braidaz (“broad, wide”), of uncertain origin. Broad follows a historical chain through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-, Proto-Germanic *braidaz, Proto-West Germanic *braid, Old English brād, Middle English brod, English broad.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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