Broad | Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Broad By Etymonline

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Origin and history of broad

broad(adj.)

Old English brad "wide, not narrow," also "flat, open, extended," from Proto-Germanic *braidi- (source also of Old Frisian bred, Old Norse breiðr, Dutch breed, German breit, Gothic brouþs), which is of unknown origin. Not found outside Germanic languages. There is no clear distinction in sense from wide. Of day or daylight, late 14c.; of speech or accents, by mid-15c. Related: Broadly; broadness.

The norþehumbirlonde pepelis tonge, specially yne Yorke, stradelithe soo brode, & so vnsavorly is wyde, þat þe sowtherne peple vnnethe can vndirstondyn hit. ["Mappula Angliae," Osbern Bokenham, c. 1447]

broad(n.)

c. 1300, "breadth" (obsolete), from broad (adj.). The sense of "a shallow, reedy lake formed by the expansion of a river over a flat surface" is a Norfolk dialect word from 1650s. The meaning "the broad part" of anything is by 1741.

The slang sense of "woman" is by 1911, usually said to be suggestive of broad hips, but it also might trace influence to American English abroad wife, used of a woman (often a slave) away from her husband. Earliest use of the slang broad suggests immorality or coarse, low-class women. Because of this negative association, and the rise of women's athletics, the track and field broad jump (1863) was changed to the long jump c. 1967.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to broad

wide(adj.)

"having relatively great extension from side to side; having a certain or specified extension from side to side;" Old English wid, also "vast, long," also used of time; from Proto-Germanic *widaz (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian wid, Old Norse viðr, Dutch wijd, Old High German wit, German weit), which is perhaps (Watkins) from PIE *wi-ito-, from root *wi- "apart, away, in half."

The meaning "distended, expanded, spread apart" is attested by c. 1500; the sense of "embracing many subjects" is from 1530s. The meaning "missing the intended target" is from 1580s. Of a dialect, "characterized by a broad accent," by mid-15c.

As a second element in compounds (such as nationwide, worldwide) and meaning "extending through the whole of," it is from late Old English. Wide-screen in reference to cinema projection is by 1931.

abroad(adv.)

mid-13c., "widely apart," a contraction of on brode, from Old English on brede, "in width," literally "at wide" (see a- (1) + broad (adj.)). From c. 1300 as "at a distance from each other," hence "out of doors, away from home" (late 14c.) also "at a distance generally" (early 15c.), and the main modern sense, "out of one's country, overseas" (mid-15c.).

• Bradley
• broadband
• broad-brim
• broadcast
• broadcloth
• broaden
• broad-minded
• broadsheet
• broadside
• broadsword
• Broadway
• See All Related Words (13)

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Trends of broad

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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broadcast1767, "dispersed upon the ground by hand," in reference to seed, from broad (adj.) + past participle of cast (v.). The figurative sense of "widely spread" is recorded by 1785. As an adverb from 1832. The modern media use began with radio (1922, adjective and noun). As a verb, recbroad-minded"unbiased, open-minded, free from prejudice or bigotry," 1590s; see broad (adj.) + -minded. This abstract mental sense of broad existed in Old English; for example in bradnes "breadth," also "liberality." [Broad-mindedness] is the capacity to take a wide and comprehensive view obroadside"side of a ship" (technically, "the side of a ship above the water, between the bow and the quarter"), 1590s, from broad (adj.) + side (n.); thus "the artillery on one side of a ship all fired off at once" (1590s, with figurative extensions). Two words until late 18c. In referencbluff"broad, vertical cliff," 1680s, from bluff (adj.)..."with a broad, flat front" (1620s), a sailors' word, probably from Dutch blaf "flat, broad."...Apparently a North Sea nautical term for ships with broad bows and flat vertical stems....It was later extended to landscape features in North America, such as high broad banks along a shore or range of hills....piazza1580s, "open public square in an Italian town," from Italian piazza, from Latin platea "courtyard, broad street," from Greek...plateia (hodos) "broad (street)," from platys "broad, flat" (from PIE root *plat- "to spread")....spatula"broad, flat, unsharpened blade with a handle," 1520s (early 15c. as a type of medical instrument), from Latin spatula "broad...piece, spatula," diminutive of spatha "broad, flat tool or weapon," from Greek spathē "broad flat blade" used as a tool...oblate"broad, wide, extensive, large," Old Latin stlatus, from PIE *stleto-, suffixed form of root *stel- "to put, stand, put in...source also of words meaning "to spread, to extend," such as Old Church Slavonic steljo "to spread out," Armenian lain "broad...blanketc. 1300, "coarse white woolen stuff," also "a large oblong piece of woolen cloth used for warmth as a bed-covering" (also as a cover for horses), from Old French blanchet "light wool or flannel cloth; an article made of this material," diminutive of blanc "white" (see blank (adj.narrowMiddle English narwe, from Old English nearu "of little width, not wide or broad; constricted, limited; petty; causing difficulty, oppressive; strict, severe," from West Germanic *narwaz "narrowness" (source also of Frisian nar, Old Saxon naru, Middle Dutch nare, Dutch naar) whicfullOld English full "containing all that can be received; having eaten or drunk to repletion; filled; perfect, entire, utter," from Proto-Germanic *fullaz "full" (source also of Old Saxon full, Old Frisian ful, Dutch vol, Old High German fol, German voll, Old Norse fullr, Gothic ful

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/broadCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/broad">Etymology of broad by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of broad. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/broadCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of broad," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed January 8, 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/broad.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of broad." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/broad. Accessed 8 January, 2026.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of broad." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/broad (accessed January 8, 2026).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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TrendingDictionary entries near broad

• Briton
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• bro
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• broad
• broadband
• broad-brim
• broadcast
• broadcaster
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