Forms: 4–9 broche, 6 brotche, 6–9 broch, 6, 9 brooch, 9 dial. brotch, 6– broach. [ME. broche, a. F. broche (13th c. in Littré), ONF. broke, broque; corresp. to Pr. and Sp. broca, It. brocca ‘a carver’s great fork’ (Florio):—Rom. or late L. *brocca spike, pointed instrument, akin to broccus, brocchus adj. in brocchi dentes projecting teeth. The same word as BROOCH, the senses having been differentiated in spelling.]
I. A tapering pointed instrument or thing.
† 1. A pointed rod of wood or iron; a lance, spear, bodkin, pricker, skewer, awl, stout pin. Obs. in general sense exc. dial.
c. 1305. Disp. Mary & Cross, 55, in Leg. Rood, 135. A Broche þorw-out his brest born.
1448. MS. R. Glouc., Gloss. 628. A broche of brennyng fure was putte þurghe an horne, that was putt in his fondement in to K. Edward Seconds body.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., clv. 137. He prykked the tode thurgh with a broche.
1548. Thomas, Rules Ital. Gram., in Promp. Parv., 52. Stocco, an armyng swoorde made like a broche.
1658. R. White, trans. Digby’s Powd. Symp. (1660), 127. Make red-hot a broach or fire shovel.
1674. Ray, N. C. Wds., 8. Broach … signifies also a Butchers-prick.
2. esp. Such a pointed instrument used for roasting meat upon; a spit.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1029. Thre balefulle birdez his brochez þey turne.
c. 1420. Liber Cocorum, 16. Do opon a broche, rost hom bydene A lytel.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 52. Broche or spete, veru.
1598. Barckley, Felic. Man, V. (1603), 373. Shee … put him upon the broach, and roasted him.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 36. Hee turned a Broach that had worne a Crowne.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 547. Entrails shall … drip their Fatness from the Hazle Broach.
1820. Scott, Ivanhoe, iv. Wild-fowl … brought in upon small wooden spits or broaches.
1872. Tennyson, Lynette, 475. Set To turn the broach.
b. A spit for spitting herring; a similar instrument used in Candle-making for suspending the wicks for dipping.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 52. Broche for spyrlynge or herynge, spiculum.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, I. 680. The dipping room is furnished with … a large wheel for supporting the broaches.
† 3. ? A taper: often mentioned along with torches; but in some cases (e.g., quot. 1504) explained as a spike on which to stick a candle.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVII. 244. Hew fyre at a flynte … But thow have towe to take it with, tondre or broches, Al thi laboure is loste.
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., xxxv. Troches and broches and stondartis bi-twene.
1504. Eng. Gilds (1870), 327. A broche wt a fote. ij new torches.
† 4. A spindle. Obs. or Sc.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 52. Broche of threde, vericulum.
1483. Cath. Angl., 44. A Broche for garn, fusillus.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VII. xiv. 59. Hir womanly handis … Na spyndill vsit, nor brochis of Mynerve.
1824. Mactaggart, Gallovid. Encycl., Broaches, Wooden spindles to put pirns on, to be wound off.
5. A piece of tough pliant wood, pointed at each end, used by thatchers for fixing their work.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 52. Broche for a thacstare, firmaculum.
1787. W. Marshall, Norfolk, II. 64. To prevent the wind from blowing it off … he pegs it down slightly with ‘double broaches.’
1843. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., IV. II. 366. Thatcher for labour, brotches, &c., at 7s. 6d.
1855. Morton, Cycl. Agric., Gloss., Broaches … rods of hazel, &c., split and twisted for use by the thatcher.
6. A church spire; also, formerly, an obelisk. Now technically restricted as in quot. 1876.
1501. MS. S. Lincolnsh. Churchw. Acc., For trassyng & makyn moldes to the brooch.
1665. in Bp. Cosin’s Corr. (Surtees), II. 121. The lead and timber of the two great broaches at the west end of the church.
1715. trans. Pancirollus’ Rerum Mem., I. II. xiv. 99. Augustus Cæsar brought two of these Broaches or Spires to Rome.
1854. H. Miller, Sch. & Schm., xiv. (1857), 348. The Masonry a-top that had supported the wooden broach.
1876. Gwilt, Archit., 959. The most frequent spire is that called a broach, when it does not rise from within parapets, but is carried up on four of its sides from the top of the square tower.
7. Venery. ‘A start of the head of a young stag, growing sharp like the end of a spit’ (Bailey).
1575. Turberv., Venerie, 52. They beare not their first head which we call Broches … until they enter the second yere of their age.
1616. Bullokar, Broches, the first head or hornes of a Hart or stagge.
1623. Cockeram, I. Pollard, Broach is the next [start] growing aboue the Beame antler.
1677. N. Cox, Gentl. Recreat. (1706), 65. The first is called Antlier; the second Surantlier.… The little Buds or Broches about the Top, are called Croches.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1862), I. II. v. 324. The stag’s horns are called his head; when simple, the first year they are called broches.
8. † a. A tusk or canine tooth (obs.). b. One of the teeth of a carding-comb, in a woollen mill.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 125. These [shepherds’ dogs] ought to be well faced … a flat chap, with two great broches, or long, straight, sharp teeth.
1837. Whittock, Bk. Trades (1842), 483. To place the wool on one of his combs the steel brooches of which are triple.
† 9. A surveyor’s arrow used with the chain. Obs.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Countr. Farm, 519. The Measurer must be prouided of tenne or twelue arrowes, otherwise called little broches, or prickes … to guide the chayne.
10. A general name for tapered boring-bits, or tools for enlarging or smoothing holes, generally of polygonal form with several cutting edges, sometimes round and smooth for burnishing, as in watchmaking; a similar tool used in dentistry; an instrument for broaching or tapping casks. In Lock-making, the pin in a lock that enters the barrel of the key.
1753. Chambers, Cycl., Among us, broach is chiefly used for a steel instrument wherewith to open holes in metals.
1786. Phil. Trans., LXXVI. 28. I took a five-sided broach, which opened the hole in the brass.
1846. W. Johnston, Beckmann’s Hist. Invent., I. 228. A piece of timber … like the handle of a broch.
1859. J. Tomes, Dent. Surg., 415. Broaches for destroying and withdrawing the pulp should be very fine, elastic and flexible.
1884. F. Britten, Watch & Clockm., 36. A round broach … for burnishing brass holes.
11. A narrow pointed chisel used by masons.
† 12. ‘A musical instrument, the sounds of which are made by turning round a handle’ (Bailey, 1730–6). Obs.
II. from the verb.
13. A perforation or boring.
1519. Horman, Vulg., 192 b. That he shulde nat make a broche or do any harme.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 259. The old Horses have longer and thinner teeth … there are certain broaches or wrinckles in their teeth.
1684. Bucaniers Amer., iii. 32. Making an incision, or broach in the body, from thence gently distilleth a sort of Liquor.
† 14. Phrase. A broach, on broach: with a perforation or tap; esp. to set a (on) broach: to tap and set running; also fig. (Now written ABROACH.)
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 52/2. Brochyn or settyn a vesselle abroche, attamino.
1513. Bk. Keruynge, in Babees Bk. (1868), 266. Whan ye sette a pype on broche, do thus.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 355/2. I see … heresyes so sore sette a broche in some vnhappy heartes.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 172/1. Wee haue in part set this matter on broch.
1606. Earl Northampton, in True & Perf. Relat., Gg 2 a. When it [this doctrine] was first set on broach.
III. Attrib. and Comb., as (sense 6) broach-spire, -steeple; broach-turner, a turn-spit; broach-wood, wood suitable for making broaches or spits.
1848. Rickman, Goth. Archit., 154. The *broach-spires of Northamptonshire.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Countr. Farm, 446. A head of Brasse, made after the fashion of a *broch steeple.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 549/1. The *broche turner … may let the spitte stande.
1872. Tennyson, Lynette, 750. Dish-washer and broach-turner, loon!
1836. Marryat, Japhet, xiv. We were cutting hazel *broach wood in the forest.
