broken

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

   A broken mirror is said to be bad luck for the one who broke it.

2. 2
   adj

   having been violated or disregarded, especially of promises or contracts

   The doomed relationship was littered with broken promises.

3. 3
   adj

   not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly

   Broken lines of defense led to our demise.

4. 4
   adj

   lacking a part or parts

   My set is broken since I lost the third volume.

5. 5
   adj

   out of working order

   My phone is broken.

6. 6
   adj

   destroyed financially

   We were broken by the abrupt stock market downturn.

7. 7
   adj

   weakened and infirm

   The patient's health is broken due to many years of neglect.

8. 8
   adj

   thrown into a state of disarray or confusion

   Troops fled hastily in broken ranks.

Etymology

From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen, ġebrocen, from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”). Cognate with Dutch gebroken (“broken”), German Low German broken (“broken”), German gebrochen (“broken”). Morphologically broke + -n.