bro·ken

verb
past participle of break¹.
adjective: broken

1. having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order.
   • (of a marriage or other long-term relationship) having ended.
   • denoting a family in which the parents are divorced or separated.
   • (of a person) having given up all hope; despairing.
2. having breaks or gaps in continuity.
3. • (of speech or a language) spoken falteringly, as if overcome by emotion, or with many mistakes, as by a foreigner.
4. having an uneven and rough surface.

break¹

verb
past participle: broken

1. separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
   • sustain an injury involving the fracture of a bone or bones in a part of the body.
   • cause a cut or graze in (the skin).
   • make or become inoperative.
   • (of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus) be or cause to be discharged when the sac is ruptured in the first stages of labor.
   • informal
     open (a safe) forcibly.
   • use (a piece of paper currency) to pay for something and receive change out of the transaction.
   • (of two boxers or wrestlers) come out of a clinch, especially at the referee’s command.
   • unfurl (a flag or sail).
   • succeed in deciphering (a code).
   • open (a shotgun or rifle) at the breech.
   • disprove (an alibi).
   • invalidate (a will) through legal process.
2. interrupt (a sequence, course, or continuous state).
   • put an end to (a silence) by speaking or making contact.
   • British
     make a pause in (a journey).
   • stop proceedings in order to have a pause or vacation.
   • lessen the impact of (a fall).
   • put an end to (a tie in a game) by making a score.
   • disconnect or interrupt (an electrical circuit).
   • stop oneself from engaging in (a habitual practice).
   • surpass (a record).
3. fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement).
   • fail to continue with (a self-imposed discipline).
4. crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of.
   • (of a person’s emotional strength) give way.
   • destroy the power of (a movement or organization).
   • destroy the effectiveness of (a strike), typically by bringing in other people to replace the striking workers.
   • tame or train (a horse).
5. (of the weather) change suddenly.
   • (of a storm) begin violently.
   • (of dawn or day) begin with the sun rising.
   • (of clouds) move apart and begin to disperse.
   • (of waves) curl over and dissolve into foam.
   • (of the voice) falter and change tone, due to emotion.
   • (of a boy’s voice) change in tone and register at puberty.
   • Phonetics
     (of a vowel) develop into a diphthong, under the influence of an adjacent sound.
   • (of prices on the stock exchange) fall sharply.
   • make the first stroke at the beginning of a game of billiards, pool, or snooker.
6. (of news or a scandal) suddenly become public.
   • make bad news known to (someone).
7. (chiefly of an attacking player or team, or of a military force) make a rush or dash in a particular direction.
   • (of a pitched baseball) curve or drop on its way toward the batter.
   • (of a bowled cricket ball) change direction on bouncing, due to spin.
   • (of a ball) rebound unpredictably.

Origin

Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.

#broken