I. ˈbrōkən sometimes -k ə ŋ adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English brocen, from past participle of brecan to break
1. : violently separated into parts : in a state resulting from breaking : in fragments : shattered
a vase broken by a fall
broken bits of glass
2. : damaged or altered by or as if by breaking: as
a. of body parts : fractured, ruptured
a broken leg
often : having the surface interrupted or flawed (as by a cut or blow)
there'll be more than one broken head before morning
b. obsolete : torn , rent — used chiefly of fabrics
c. of land or land surfaces : rough and irregular, interrupted (as by cliffs and ravines), or full of obstacles to passage (as rocks, ledges, or gullies)
a broken country full of springs and streams
a long broken ridge
d. : violated by transgression : with integrity destroyed
a broken promise
e. : made discontinuous or altered in direction (as by bending or refraction)
the broken antennae of most weevils
light rays broken by a prism
sometimes : zigzag
following a broken course
f. : interrupted , discontinuous
a broken sleep
the broken pattern of his thoughts
g. of weather : unsettled ; also of clouds : overspreading much but not all of the sky
h. : disrupted by change
a home broken by sickness
i. of a plant or flower : affected with break
a broken tulip
j. of cream : separating into large aggregates when shaken due to the action of certain bacteria
k. of an animal's coat : molting
3. : reduced in condition: as
a. : made weak or infirm (as by disease, age, or hardships)
b. : subdued , crushed
a broken spirit
c. : ruined financially : bankrupt
d. : made submissive : trained for use
a well- broken horse
e. : cashiered or reduced in rank
he was broken from sergeant to private
: ruined officially or professionally
his career was broken by the scandal
f. Scotland : declared an outlaw
apprehend all such freebooters and broken men
4. : disconnected : not continuous: as
a. : uttered hesitantly and disjointedly on account of emotion
a few broken words at parting
b. : imperfectly spoken or written especially by a foreigner
broken English
5.
a. archaic : forming or consisting of remnants or leavings especially when fragmentary
broken beer
broken meats
b. : not complete
a broken line of goods
or completely full
a broken bale of wool
often : containing fewer than the standard number of sheets or boards but not necessarily of poor quality
as broken ream
a broken bundle
a broken carton
6. of paper : of uneven quality (as when soiled or spotted more than retree)
7.
a. of a color : dulled by an admixture of gray : saddened ; also : produced by blending of primary colors
b. of color effects in painting : produced by laying component color elements side by side on canvas or other surface so that at a distance they appear to blend
c. : consisting of two usually discrete colors — used chiefly of animal eyes and coats
a broken red and black coat
8. of a vowel sound : diphthongized by breaking
9. of a twill weave : having the diagonal lines reversed at regular intervals to produce a zigzag effect — compare herringbone
10. of a noun plural in Arabic : distinguished from the singular by a difference in vowel sounds
II. noun
( -s )
: broke 3 — used chiefly in paper mills
III. adjective
: disunited by divorce, separation, or the desertion of one parent
broken homes
a broken family