broad: Meaning and Definition of

broad

Pronunciation: (brôd), [key]
— adj., adv., n. -er, -est,
—adj.
  1. of great breadth: The river was too broad to swim across.
  2. measured from side to side: The desk was three feet broad.
  3. of great extent; large: the broad expanse of ocean.
  4. widely diffused; open; full: We awoke to broad daylight.
  5. not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope: A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.
  6. liberal; tolerant: A broad interpretation of the law tempers justice with mercy.
  7. main or general: the broad outlines of a subject.
  8. plain or clear: Her remark was a broad hint of her feelings.
  9. bold; plain-spoken.
  10. indelicate; indecent: He smirked at the broad joke.
  11. (of conversation) rough; countrified.
  12. unconfined; free; unrestrained: It was a hilarious evening of broad mirth.
  13. (of pronunciation) strongly dialectal: He wore kilts and had a broad Scots accent.
  14. (of a transcription) using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme.
  15. the a-soundwhen used in lieu of the more common a-soundin such words as half, can't, and laugh.
  16. bearing 90° to the heading of a vessel.
  17. bearing 45° to the heading of a vessel.
  18. bearing 135° to the heading of a vessel.
—adv.
  1. fully: He was broad awake.
—n.
  1. the broad part of anything.
    1. Usually Offensive.a woman.
    2. a promiscuous woman.
  2. Often,an incandescent or fluorescent lamp used as a general source of light in a studio.
  3. a gold coin of England and Scotland, issued by James I and Charles I and equal to 20 shillings. Cf. carolus, jacobus.

Broad

Pronunciation: (brôd), [key]
— n.
  1. 1887–1971, English philosopher.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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