Broken

ppl. a. For forms see BREAK v. Used adjectively in many of the senses of the verb; esp. the following:

  1.  Separated forcibly into parts; in fragments; in pieces. (The resulting damaged state is often the main notion.)

[737.  Chart. Æðelhard, in Cod. Dipl., V. 45. To brocenan beorʓe.]

1383.  Wyclif, Isa. xxxvi. 6. Lo! thou tristist on this brokun staf.

c. 1500.  Lancelot, 240. The tronsions of o brokine sper.

1535.  Coverdale, Ps. xxx[i]. 12. I am become like a broken vessell.

1634.  Bp. Hall, Occas. Medit., cx. Wks. (1808), 203. A thin, uncovered roof … dark and broken windows.

1719.  De Foe, Crusoe (1840), I. iv. 60. Three broken oars.

1832.  De la Beche, Geol. Man., 205. Polypifers occur … rolled and broken, as on an ancient coast.

1868.  J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., I. 327. A few broken walls and the roofless, unglazed churches.

  b.  Broken bread, meat, victuals, etc.: fragments of food left after a meal, etc.; by extension applied to remnants of drink, as broken ale, beer.

1382.  Wyclif, Mark viii. 20. How many leepis of brokene mete ȝe token vp?

1530.  Palsgr., 201/2. Broken meat, fragments.

1591.  Percivall, Sp. Dict., Escurriduras, the dropping of a cup, broken drinke, reliquiæ.

1594.  Plat, Diuerse new Exper., 13. Others doe soke chippings and other crustes of bread in broken beere.

1639.  T. de Grey, Compl. Horseman, 113. Wash the places with broken beere.

1675.  Hobbes, Odyss., 203. With broken meat and wine himself to feed.

1876.  Miss Braddon, J. Haggard’s Dau., II. 15. No sign of unwashed tea-things or broken victuals.

  c.  In some cases broken gives a specific sense to the combination, as broken tea, tea-siftings; broken granite, granite reduced to a size fit for road-making; broken-coal, a special size of coal.

  † d.  fig. Dissolved. Obs.

1538.  Latimer, Serm. & Rem. (1845), 397. Graciously to remember them with some piece of some broken abbey.

  2.  Rent, ruptured, torn, burst.

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 108. Þat bar[en] awey my bolle and my broke [v.r. broken] schete. Ibid., IX. 91. He … biddeth þe begger go for his broke clothes.

1535.  Coverdale, Jer. ii. 13. Vile and broken pittes, that holde no water.

1577.  Holinshed, Chron., III. 845/1. Old hosen, broken shooes.

1641.  Termes de la Ley, 43 b. Old and broken apparell.

1760.  Goldsm., Cit. W., xxix. His … dirty shirt, and broken silk stockings.

  3.  Of organic structures: a. Having the bone fractured; b. having the surface ruptured.

c. 1340.  Cursor M., 8087 (Fairf.). Wiþ crumpeled knees and brokin bak [v.r. boce on bak].

1562.  J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 113. Broken head.

1600.  Shaks., A. Y. L., I. i. 134. Hee that escapes me without some broken limbe.

1712.  Addison, Spect., No. 433, ¶ 6. They often came from the Council Table with broken Shins.

1753.  Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v. Broken, Among horse-jockies, broken knees are a mark of a stumbler.

  4.  Shattered; said of water whose coherence as a mass has been destroyed by striking against an object, or whose surface is broken.

1793.  Smeaton, Edystone L., § 271. Sufficiently strong to resist the falling broken water.

1804.  A. Duncan, Mariner’s Chron., II. 77. A dreadful, hollow, broken sea.

1867.  Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Broken Water, the contention of currents in a narrow channel. Also, the waves breaking on and near shallows.

1875.  Bedford, Sailor’s Pocket-Bk., VI. (ed. 2), 216. In a boat outside the broken water.

  5.  Crushed or exhausted by labor, etc.; with strength or power gone; enfeebled.

1490.  Caxton, Eneydos, xxxi. 117. The ladyes were sore wery and broken of theyre longe vyage.

1577.  Holinshed, Chron., I. 165/1. The old broken yeeres of mans life.

1615.  G. Sandys, Trav., 118. Such a number of broken persons … by reason of their strong labour and weake foode.

1758.  Lady M. W. Montague, Lett., cvi. IV. 98. Sir Charles Williams, who I hear is much broken both in his spirits and constitution.

1864.  Tennyson, En. Ard., 705. Enoch was so brown, so bow’d, So broken.

  6.  Crushed in feelings by misfortune, remorse, etc.; subdued, humbled, contrite.

1535.  Coverdale, Ps. l[i]. 17. A broken and a contrite hert (o God) shalt thou not despise.

1642.  Rogers, Naaman, 61. Try whether … yourselves grow daily lowlier, meeker, brokenner.

1652.  Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 68. The King’s courage was so broken.

a. 1718.  Penn, Life, Wks. I. 100. She was exceedingly broken, and took an Affectionate and Reverent Leave of us.

1831.  Carlyle, Sart. Res., II. vii. 194. How beautiful to die of broken-heart, on Paper.

1858.  Robertson, Lect., 269. Happy is the man not thoroughly broken by disappointment.

  7.  Reduced or shattered in worldly estate, financially ruined; having failed in business, bankrupt.

1593.  Shaks., Rich. II., II. i. 257. The Kings growne bankrupt like a broken man.

1602.  T. Fitzherbert, Apol., 19. Cradock had byn a broken Merchant about Italie.

1714.  Ellwood, Autobiog. (1765), 257. He might thereby repair his broken fortunes.

1753.  Richardson, Grandison (1781), VI. i. 7. There may be many ways … of providing for a broken tradesman.

1863.  Geo. Eliot, Romola, I. xvi. (1880), I. 225. To mend the broken fortunes of his ancient family.

  8.  Reduced to obedience or discipline, tamed, trained. Often with in.

1805.  Southey, Madoc in Azt., iii. The Elk and Bison, broken to the yoke.

1844.  Regul. & Ord. Army, 380. A Horse … notified … to be properly broken.

1861.  Palgrave, Gold. Treasury, 308. A language hardly yet broken in to verse.

  9.  Broken man. Scotch Law and Hist. One under sentence of outlawry, or living the life of an outlaw, or depredator, chiefly in the Highlands and Border districts; broken-clan (see quot.).

1528.  MS. Caligula, in Tytler, Hist. Scot. (1864), II. 348, note. Divers radis to be maid upon the brokin men of our realme.

1594.  Sc. Acts 13 Jas. VI., § 227. Daylie heirschippes of the wicked thieues and limmers of the Clannes and surnames following … broken men of the surnames of Stewarts.

a. 1649.  Drumm. of Hawth., Hist. Jas. V., Wks. (1711), 95. A thousand, all borderers and broken men.

1818.  Scott, Rob Roy, xxvi. He … took to the brae-side, and became a broken-man. Ibid. (1820), Abbot, xxxiv. Note. A broken clan was one who had no chief able to find security for their good behaviour, a clan of outlaws.

1875.  Maine, Hist. Inst., VI. 174. The result was probably to fill the country with ‘broken men.’

  10.  Violated, transgressed, not kept intact.

1605.  Armin, Foole upon F. (1880), 14. A broken Uirgine, one that had had a barne.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 713. The sign Of Cov’nants broke.

1800–24.  Campbell, Lines on Poland, 84. This broken faith Has robb’d you more of Fame.

a. 1840.  C. H. Bateman, Hymn, ‘Glory, glory, glory.’ When mercy healed the broken law.

1878.  Morley, Diderot, I. 274. The broken oaths of old days.

  11.  Having the ranks broken; routed, dispersed.

1810.  Scott, Lady of L., I. xxxiii. Now leader of a broken host.

1850.  Prescott, Peru, II. 330. The governor despised the broken followers of Almagro.

  12.  Having continuity or uniformity interrupted.

  a.  of a line: Abruptly altered in direction; turned off at an angle.

1721.  Bailey, Broken Radiation is the breaking of the Beams of Light, as seen through a Glass.

1753.  Chambers, Cycl. Supp., Broken Ray, in dioptrics, the same with ray of refraction.

1828.  Kirby & Sp., Entomol., III. xxxii. 319. The antennæ … broken (viz. when the main body of the antenna forms an angle with the first joints).

  b.  of the surface of ground, etc.: Intersected with ravines or valleys; uneven. Also, broken up, plowed, stripped of turf.

1599.  Hakluyt, Voy., II. II. 131. Between them both broken ground.

1782.  W. Gilpin, Wye (1789), 21. By broken ground we mean such as hath lost it’s turf, and discovers the naked soil.

1826.  Disraeli, Viv. Grey, VIII. iii. An open but broken country.

1878.  Bosw. Smith, Carthage, 112. The Carthaginian cavalry and elephants extricated themselves … from the broken ground.

  c.  of states or conditions: Interrupted, disturbed.

1712.  Addison, Spect., No. 317, ¶ 21. Broken Sleep.

1848.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 430. His rest that night was broken.

  d.  of weather: Unsettled, uncertain.

1793.  Smeaton, Edystone L., § 275. The weather continued broken till Saturday.

  13.  Fragmentary, disconnected, disjointed, in patches.

1820.  Scott, Ivanhoe, i. Here the red rays of the sun shot a broken and discoloured light.

1845.  Darwin, Voy. Nat., xi. (1870), 249. On the two great continents in the northern hemisphere, but not in the broken land of Europe between them.

1849.  Ruskin, Sev. Lamps, vi. § 1. 162. Broken masses of pine forest.

  a.  of time: Interrupted; ‘odd.’

1621.  Quarles, Argalus & P. (1678), Introd. The fruits of broken hours.

1667.  Pepys, Diary, 20 May. It being a broken day, did walk abroad.

1754.  Chatham, Lett. Nephew, iii. 16. Mr. Addison’s papers, to be read very frequently at broken times.

1827.  Hare, Guesses, Ser. I. (1873), 162. He would have made a broken week of it.

  b.  of sound, voice, and the like: Uttered disjointedly, ejaculated, interrupted.

1530.  Palsgr., 307/1. Brokyn as ones speche is, abrupt.

1609.  Bible (Douay), Num. ix. 5. If the trumpeting sound in length and with a broken tune.

1719.  De Foe, Crusoe (1840), I. xv. 260. He repeated it in the … same broken words.

1731.  Pope, Ep. Boyle, 143. Light quirks of Musick, broken and uneven.

1853.  Arab. Nights (Rtldg.), 514. Her voice much broken with sobs.

1886.  Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll, ii. 25. He spoke with a husky, whispering, and somewhat broken voice.

  c.  of language: Imperfectly spoken, with the syntax incomplete.

1599.  Shaks., Hen. V., V. ii. 265. Breake thy minde to me in broken English.

1685.  Lond. Gaz., No. 2093/4. A Frenchman … speaks broken English and Dutch.

1870.  L’Estrange, Miss Mitford, I. v. 154. Four letters of Mr. Klopstock in broken English.

  14.  Produced by breaking, severed.

c. 1200.  Trin. Coll. Hom., 93. Þe brokene boȝes.

1535.  Coverdale, Acts xxvii. 44. On broken peces of the shippe [so 1611].

1860.  Tyndall, Glac., I. § 9. 61. Broken fragments of rock.

  b.  Not whole in amount; fractional; not ‘round.’ Broken number: a fraction.

1542.  Recorde, Gr. Artes (1575), 319. A Fraction in deede is a broken number.

1609.  MS. Acc. St. John’s Hosp. Canterb., Rec. of the deathe of brother Barton and syster Brooke for broken wages vs.

1797.  Burke, Regic. Peace, III. Wks. VIII. 355. This new-created income of two millions will probably furnish £665,000 (I avoid broken numbers).

1868.  Milman, St. Paul’s, vii. 153. In one month … it yielded no less than £50 besides broken money.

  c.  Incomplete; fragmentary; imperfect.

1634.  Canne, Necess. Separ. (1849), 169. Such broken stuff, not worthy of any answer.

1656.  Burton’s Diary (1828), I. 81. There may be a broken title.

1669.  Gale, Crt. Gentiles, I. Introd. 6. Broken Traditions.

1813.  Byron, Giaour, xliii. This broken tale was all we knew.

  15.  Of colors: Qualified or reduced in tone by the addition of some other color or colors.

1882.  Printing Times, 15 Feb., 35/1. Another way of regarding the tertiary colours is to contemplate them as broken hues, that is, colours degraded by the addition of their complementaries. Looked at thus, olive is a broken blue.

  † 16.  Of music: a. Arranged for different instruments, ‘part’ (music); concerted. (obs.) Shakespeare appar. played upon the phrase. b. Cf. sense 13 b, quot. 1731.

  [Cf. 1597.  Morley, Introd. Mus., 97, margin. The plainsong of the Hymne Saluator mundi, broken in diuision, and brought in a Canon of thre parts in one, by Osbert Parsley.]

  1599.  Shaks., Hen. V., V. ii. 263. Come your Answer in broken Musick; for thy Voyce is Musick, and thy English broken. Ibid. (1600), A. Y. L., I. ii. 150. To see this broken Musicke in his sides. Ibid. (1606), Tr. & Cr., III. i. 19. Pan. What Musique is this? Serv. I doe but partly know sir: it is Musicke in parts. Ibid., 52. Here is good broken Musicke.

1625.  Bacon, Masques & Tri., Ess. (Arb.), 539. Ibid. (1626), Sylva, § 278. So likewise, in that music which we call broken-music or consort-music, some consorts of instruments are sweeter than others.

  II.  With adverbs: see combs. of BREAK v.

  17.  Broken-in, broken-off, broken-up.

1827.  Marryat, Olla Podr., xxxiv. Broke-in horses.

1876.  Geo. Eliot, Dan. Der., IV. lv. 131. This broken-off fragment.

1846.  J. Baxter, Libr. Pract. Agric., II. 247. Winter potatoes on broken up grass land.

  b.  Broken-down, (a.) reduced to atoms, decomposed; (b.) decayed, ruined; whose health, strength, character, etc., has given way.

1817.  J. Scott, Paris Revisit. (ed. 4), 75. His poor broken-down animal.

1827.  Blackw. Mag., Oct., 452/1. A half-drunk horse-couper, swinging to and fro … on a bit of broken-down blood.

1839–47.  Todd, Cycl. Anat. & Phys., III. 488/1. A mass of broken-down epithelium.

1840.  R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, xxi. 63. Broken-down politicians.

  III.  Combinations.

  18.  General comb.: chiefly parasynthetic, as broken-ended, -footed, -fortuned, -handed, -headed, -hipped, -hoofed, -legged, -minded, -nosed, -paced, -shanked, -spirited, -winged, etc.

1362.  Langl., P. Pl., A. VII. 131. Bote heo beo blynde or broke-schonket.

1544.  Ascham, Toxoph. (Arb.), 83. He weueth vp many brokenended matters.

c. 1568.  Coverdale, Bk. Death, III. vii. Wks. II. 124. When he, within seven days, had lost both his sons, he was not broken-minded.

1611.  Bible, Lev. xxi. 19. A man that is broken footed, or broken handed.

1701.  Lond. Gaz., No. 3693/4. A … Mare … a little broken Hoof’d before.

1741.  Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. 195. The broken-fortuned peer goes into the city to marry a rich tradesman’s daughter.

1824.  Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 236. The widow … had a complaining broken-spirited air.

1858.  Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls. (1872), I. 7. A broken-nosed image.

  19.  Special comb.: broken-bellied, -bodied (dial.), affected with hernia, ruptured; also fig.; broken-grass (see quot.); broken-kneed (Farriery), having the knees damaged by stumbling, etc.; also fig.; † broken-lended, ruptured; broken-mouthed (see quot.). Also BROKEN-BACKED, BROKEN-HEARTED, BROKEN-WIND, -ED.

1634.  Sir M. Sandys, Prudence, xii. 168. Such is our *broken-bellied Age, that this Astutia is turned into Versutia.

1881.  Evans, Leicestersh. Wds. (E.D.S.), *Broken-grass, grass left and mown after a field has been grazed by cattle.

1702.  Lond. Gaz., No. 3814/4. Grey Gelding … *broken Knee’d.

1822.  Byron, Juan, VI. ci. His speech grew still more broken-kneed.

1875.  Whyte-Melville, Katerfelto, xv. 167. He rode a broken-kneed Exmoor pony.

1483.  Cath. Angl., 45. *Broken lendyde, lumbifractus.

1750.  Ellis, Country Housew., 47. What we call *broken-mouthed sheep, that is to say, such who by age have lost most of their teeth.