A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

brasserie --- 1864, "brewery," from Fr., from M.Fr. brasser "to brew," from L. brace "grain used to prepare malt."

brassiere --- 18c., "woman's underbodice," from Fr. brassière "child's chemise, shoulder strap" (17c.), from O.Fr. braciere "arm guard," from bras "an arm," from L. brachium (see brace). Modern use is a euphemistic borrowing first recorded 1909.

brat --- c.1505, slang, "beggar's child," originally northern, midlands and western England dialect "makeshift or ragged garment," probably the same word as O.E. bratt "cloak," from a Celtic source (cf. O.Ir. bratt "cloak, cloth"). The modern meaning is perhaps from notion of "child's apron." Bratty is first recorded 1961.

bravado --- 1583, from Fr. bravade "bragging, boasting," from It. bravata "bragging, boasting," from bravare "brag, boast, be defiant," from bravo (see brave). Influenced in form by Sp. words ending in -ado.

brave --- 1485, from M.Fr. "splendid, valiant," from It. bravo "brave, bold," orig. "wild, savage," possibly from M.L. bravus "cutthroat, villain," from L. pravus "crooked, depraved;" a less likely etymology being from L. barbarus (see barbarous). A Celtic origin (Ir. breagh, Cornish bray) has also been suggested. The noun application to N. American Indian warrior is from 1601. The verb "to face with bravery" is from 1776. Bravery is from 1548. Brave new world is from the title of Aldous Huxley's 1932 satirical utopian novel; he lifted the phrase from Shakespeare ("Tempest" v.i.183).

bravo --- as a cheer, "well done!," 1761, from It., lit. "brave" (see brave). Earlier it was used as a noun meaning "desperado, hired killer" (1597). Superlative form is bravissimo. "It is held by some philologists that as "Bravo!" is an exclamation its form should not change, but remain bravo under all circumstances. Nevertheless "bravo" is usually applied to a male, "brava" to a female artist, and "bravi" to two or more." ["Elson's Music Dictionary," 1905]

bravura --- 1788, "piece of music requiring great skill," from It. "bravery, spirit" (see brave). Sense of "display of brilliancy, dash" is from 1813.

brawl (v.) --- c.1378, braulen "to cry out, quarrel," prob. related to Du. brallen "to boast," or from Fr. brailler "to shout noisily," freq. of braire "to bray." The noun is 1460, from the verb.

brawn --- 1290, from O.Fr. braon "fleshy or muscular part, buttock," from Frank. *brado "ham, roast," from P.Gmc. *bræd- (cf. O.H.G. brato "tender meat," Ger. Braten "roast," O.N. brað "raw meat," O.E. bræd "flesh"), from PIE *bhre- "burn, heat," from base *bureue- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn" (see brew). The original sense is "piece of meat suitable for roasting." "The specific sense 'boar's flesh' is exclusively of English development, and characteristic of English habits" [OED]. In Eng., specifically "boar's flesh." Brawny "characterized by muscle" is from 1599.

bray (v.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. braire "to cry," from Gallo-Romance *bragire "to cry out," perhaps from a Celtic source (cf. Gael. braigh "to shriek, crackle"), probably imitative.

braze (1) --- to expose to the action of fire, 1581, perhaps from Fr. braser "to solder," in O.Fr. "to burn," related to brese "embers" (see braise).

braze (2) --- to make of or cover in brass, O.E. brasian, from bræs (see brass).

brazen --- O.E. bræsen "made of brass," from bræs "brass." The figurative sense of "hardened in effrontery" is c.1573 (in brazen-face), perhaps suggesting a face unable to show shame (see brass). To brazen it out "face impudently" is from 1555.

brazier --- metal container to hold burning coals, 1690, from Fr. brasier "pan of hot coals," from O.Fr. brasier, from brese "embers" (see braise).

Brazil --- 1555, from Sp./Port. terra de brasil "red-dye-wood land," from Sp. brasil or It. brasile, probably connected to Fr. braize (see braize) for resemblance of color to a glowing ember (but O.It. form verzino suggests a possible connection with Arabic wars "saffron"). Originally the name of a type of wood from an E. Indian tree, used in making dye; the name later transferred to a similar S.Amer. species. The word in reference to the wood is attested in Eng. from 1386. Complicating matters is Hy Brasil a name applied by 1436 to one of the larger Azores Islands, later transf. to a legendary island or rock off the west coast of Ireland (sighted in 1791 at lat. 51° 10', long. 15° 58').

Brazzaville --- capital of Republic of Congo, named for Fr. explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (1852-1905), who founded it in 1883. An It. count, his title is from the Adriatic island of Brazza, now Brac in Croatia.

breach --- O.E. bræc "a breaking," from brecan (see break), infl. by O.Fr. breche, from Frankish; both from P.Gmc. *brecho, *bræko "broken," from PIE base *bhreg-. Fig. sense of "a breaking of rules, etc." was in O.E. The verb is first recorded 1573.

bread --- O.E. bread "crumb, morsel," originally simply "piece of food" (cf. Slovenian kruh "bread," lit. "a piece"), from P.Gmc. *brautham (cf. O.N. brot, Dan. brød, Ger. Brot), which would be from the root of brew (q.v.). But other authorities deny this and suggest the basic sense was not "cooked food" but "piece," and the O.E. word derives from a P.Gmc. *braudsmon- "fragments, bits" (cf. O.H.G. brosma "crumb") and is related to the root of break. Replaced by 1200 the O.E. word for bread, which was hlaf, see loaf. The verb "to dress with bread crumbs" is from 1727. Slang meaning "money" dates from 1940s, but bread-winner is from 1818. Bread-and-butter in the fig. sense of "basic needs" is from 1732. Bread and circuses (1914) is from L., in ref. to food and entertainment provided by governments to keep the populace happy. "Duas tantum res anxius optat, Panem et circenses" [Juvenal, Sat. x.80].

bread-basket --- 1552, "basket for holding bread," from bread + basket. Slang meaning "stomach" is attested from 1753, esp. in pugilism.

breadth --- 1523, alteration of brede "breadth," from O.E. bræd, probably by analogy with long/length.

break (v.) --- O.E. brecan (class IV strong verb; past tense bræc, pp. brocen), from P.Gmc. *brekan (cf. O.Fris. breka, Du. breken, O.H.G. brehhan, Ger. brechen, Goth. brikan), from PIE base *bhreg- "to break" (see fraction). Most modern senses were in O.E. Meaning "to disclose" is from 1450. Noun sense of "short interval between spells of work (originally between lessons at school) is from 1861. Break the ice is 1602, in ref. to the "coldness" of encounters of strangers. Break wind first attested 1552. Breaker "heavy ocean wave" is from 1684. Breakneck (of speeds, etc.) is from 1562. Breakthrough is 1918, originally in ref. to WWI military events. Ironic theatrical good luck formula break a leg has parallels in Ger. Hals und Bein brechen "break your neck and leg," and It. in bocca al lupo.

break dancing --- 1982, but the style itself evolved late 1970s in South Bronx, and breakdown "a riotous dance, in the style of the negroes" is recorded from 1864. The ref. in this case is to the rhythmic break in a pop-dance song, which the DJs isolated and the dancers performed to.

breakfast --- 1463, from break (v.) + fast (n.). Cf. Fr. déjeuner "to breakfast," from L. dis-jejunare "to break the fast." The verb is recorded from 1679. The Sp. almuerzo "lunch," but formerly and still locally "breakfast," is from L. admorsus, pp. of admordere "to bite into," from ad- "to" + mordere "to bite." Words for "breakfast" tend over time to shift in meaning toward "lunch;" cf. Fr. déjeuner "breakfast," later "lunch" (equivalent of Sp. desayuno "breakfast"), both from V.L. *disieiunare "to breakfast," from L. dis- + ieiunare "fast."

bream --- freshwater fish, c.1386, from O.Fr. bresme, from Frank. *brahsima, from W.Gmc. *brahsm- (cf. O.H.G. brahsima), probably from P.Gmc. base *brehwan "to shine, glitter, sparkle."

breast --- O.E. breost, from P.Gmc. *breustam "breast" (cf. O.S. briost, O.N. brjost, Ger. brust, Goth. brusts), perhaps lit. "swelling" and from PIE base *bhreus-/*bhrus- "to swell, sprout" (cf. M.Ir. bruasach "having a broad, strong chest," O.Ir. bruinne "breast"). The spelling conforms to the Scot. and northern Eng. dial. pronunciation. Figurative sense of "seat of the emotions" was in O.E. Breastwork "fieldwork thrown up breast-high for defense" is from 1642.

breath --- O.E. bræð "odor, exhalation" (O.E. word for "air exhaled from the lungs" was æðm), from P.Gmc. *bræthaz "smell, exhalation" (cf. O.H.G. bradam), from PIE *bhretos "steam, vapor given off by heat or something cooking," from base *bhre- "burn, heat." Breathless "awed" is from 1802. Breathalyzer first recorded 1960; an earlier name for it was drunkometer (1934).

breathe --- c.1300, not in O.E., but it retains the original O.E. vowel of its source word, breath. Breather "spell of exercise taken to stimulate the breathing" is from 1836.

breccia --- rock of angular pieces, 1774, from It., "marble of angular pieces," from a Gmc. source akin to O.H.G. brecha "a breaking."

breeches --- c.1205, a double plural, from O.E. brec, which was already pl. of broc "garment for the legs and trunk," from P.Gmc. *brokiz (cf. O.N. brok, Du. broek, O.H.G. bruoh, Ger. Bruch, obsolete since 18c. except in Swiss dialect), perhaps from PIE base *bhreg- (see break). The P.Gmc. word is a parallel form to Celt. *bracca, source (via Gaulish) of L. braca (cf. Fr. braies), and some propose that the Gmc. word group is borrowed from Gallo-L. Expanded sense of "part of the body covered by breeches, posterior" led to senses in childbirthing (1673) and gunnery ("the part of a firearm behind the bore," 1575). As the popular word for "trousers" in Eng., displaced in U.S. by pants c.1840. The Breeches Bible (Geneva Bible of 1560) so called on account of rendition of Gen. iii.7 (already in Wyclif) "They sewed figge leaues together, and made themselues breeches."

breed --- O.E. bredan "bring young to birth, carry," also "cherish, keep warm," from W.Gmc. *brodjan (cf. O.H.G. bruoten, Ger. brüten "to brood, hatch"), from *brod- "fetus, hatchling," from PIE *bhre- "burn, heat" (see brood). Original notion of the word was incubation, warming to hatch. Breeding "good manners" is from 1596. Breeder scornful homosexual term for "heterosexual person," attested from 1986.

breeze --- 1565, "north or northeast wind," from O.Sp. briza "cold northeast wind;" in W.Indies and Spanish Main, the sense shifting to "northeast trade wind," then "fresh wind from the sea." Eng. sense of "gentle or light wind" is from 1626. An alternate possibility is E.Fris. brisen "to blow fresh and strong." The slang for "something easy" is Amer.Eng., c.1928; breezeway is 1931, Amer.Eng.; breezy "easygoing, jovial" is from 1870.

brekekekex --- 1607, from Gk. (Aristophanes), echoic of the croaking of frogs.

Bremen --- city in Germany, from O.Saxon bremo "edge" (related to Eng. brim), in ref. to its site on a river bank.

Bren --- type of machine gun used by the British army in WWII, 1937, short for Bren gun, coined from first letters of Brno, Czechoslovakia, and Enfield, near London. The patent was purchased in Brno, and the gun was manufactured in Enfield.

brer --- in Brer Rabbit, etc., 1881, Joel Chandler Harris' representation of U.S. Southern black pronunciation of brother.

Breton --- native or language of Brittany, c.1386, from Fr. form of Briton (q.v.).

breve --- 1460, musical notation indicating two whole notes, from L. breve (adj.) "short." the grammatical curved line placed over a vowel to indicate "shortness" (1548) is from the same source.

brevet --- 1362, from O.Fr., "papal indulgence," dim. of bref "letter" (see brief). Army sense is from 1689.

breviary --- 1547, "brief statement;" sense of "short prayer book used by Catholic priests" is from 1611, from L. breviarium "summary," neut. of adj. breviarius "abridged," from breviare "to shorten, abbreviate," from brevis "short."

brevity --- 1509, from L. brevitatem (nom. brevitas), from brevis "short" (see brief).

brew --- O.E. breowan (class II strong verb, past tense breaw, past participle browen), from P.Gmc. *breuwan "to brew" (cf. O.N. brugga, O.Fris. briuwa, M.Du. brouwen), from PIE base *bhreue- "to bubble, boil, effervesce" (cf. Skt. bhurnih "violent, passionate," Gk. phrear "well, spring," L. fervere "to boil, foam," Thracian Gk. brytos "fermented liquor made from barley;" O.E. beorma "yeast;" O.H.G. brato "roast meat"), the original sense thus being "make a drink by boiling." The noun is 1510, from the verb. Brewery (1658) replaced brewhouse (1373).

briar --- see brier.

Briareus --- 1606, hundred-handed giant in Gk. mythology, from Gk. briaros "strong."

bribe (n.) --- 1386, "thing stolen," from O.Fr. "morsel of bread given to beggars," from briber "to beg," a general Romantic word, of uncertain origin. Shift of meaning to "gift given to influence corruptly" is first attested 1535.

bric-a-brac --- 1840, from obsolete Fr. phrase à bric et à brac "at random, any old way."

brick --- 1416, from O.Fr. briche, probably from a Gmc. source akin to M.Du. bricke "a tile," lit. "a broken piece," from the verbal root of break. Meaning "a good fellow" is from 1840. Brickbat "piece or fragment of a brick" is from 1563; brick wall in the fig. sense of "impenetrable barrier" is from 1886.

bridal (n.) --- wedding feast, O.E. brydealo "marriage feast," from bryd ealu, lit. "bride ale;" second element later confused with suffix -al.

bride --- O.E. bryd, from P.Gmc. *bruthiz "woman being married" (cf. O.Fris. breid, Du. bruid, O.H.G. brut, Ger. Braut "bride"). Goth. cognate bruþs, however, meant "daughter-in-law," and the form of the word borrowed from O.H.G. into M.L. (bruta) and O.Fr. (bruy) only had this sense. In ancient IE custom, the married woman went to live with her husband's family, so the only "newly-wed female" in such a household would be the daughter-in-law. On the same notion, some trace the word itself to the PIE verbal root *bru- "to cook, brew, make broth," as this was the daughter-in-law's job. Bridesmaid is from 1552 (as bridemaid).

bridegroom --- O.E. brydguma "suitor," from bryd "bride" + guma "man" (cf. O.N. gumi, O.H.G. gomo, cognate with L. homo "man"). Ending altered 16c. by folk etymology after groom "groom, boy, lad" (q.v.). Common Gmc. term, except in Goth., which used bruþsfaþs, lit. "bride's lord."

bridewell --- prison, 1552, from Bridewell, house of correction in London, originally a royal lodging (given by Edward VI for a hospital, later converted to a prison) near Bride's Well, short for St. Bridget's Well.

bridge (1) --- causeway over a ravine or river, O.E. brycge, from P.Gmc. *brugjo (cf. O.N. bryggja, Ger. Brücke), from PIE base *bhru "log, beam," hence "wooden causeway" (cf. Gaul. briva "bridge," O.C.S. bruvuno "beam," Serb. brv "footbridge"). For vowel evolution, see bury. Meaning "bony upper part of the nose" is from c.1450; of violins, etc., from 1607.

bridge (2) --- card game, 1886 (perhaps as early as 1843), an alteration of biritch, but the source and meaning of that are obscure. "Probably of Levantine origin, since some form of the game appears to have been long known in the Near East" [OED]. One guess is that it represents Turk. *bir-üç "one-three," since one hand is exposed and three are concealed.

Bridget --- fem. proper name, from Ir. Brighid, fire goddess, from brigh "strength," from Celt. *brig-o-.

bridle --- O.E. bridel, related to bregdan "move quickly," from P.Gmc. *bregdilaz (see braid). The verb meaning "to throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in) is from 1460.

Brie --- 1848, from name of district in department Seine-et-Marne, southeast of Paris, famous for its cheeses. The name is from Gaul. briga "hill, height."

brief (adj.) --- 1292, from L. brevis (adj.) "short, low, little, shallow," from PIE *bregh- "cut, beat, beat (out)" (cf. Gk. brakhys "short," O.C.S. bruzeja "shallow places, shoals"). Noun derivative breve (gen. brevis) meant "letter, summary" (specifically a letter of the pope, less ample and solemn than a bull), and came to mean "letter of authority," which yielded the modern, legal sense of "summary of the facts of a case" (1631). The verb meaning "to give instructions or information to" (1866) was originally "to instruct by a brief" (1862); hence briefing, first attested 1910 but popularized by WWII pre-flight conferences. Briefs "short, tight underwear" is from 1934.

brier/briar (1) --- 1545, variant of M.E. brere, from O.E. brer (Anglian), brær (W.Saxon) "prickly bush," of unknown origin. Briar is the most recent variant (1601). Originally used of prickly, thorny bushes in general, now mostly restricted to wild rose bushes.

brier/briar (2) --- wood often used to make tobacco pipes, 1868, from Fr. bruyère "heath plant," from O.Fr. bruyere, from Gallo-Romance *brucaria, from *brucus "heather," from Gaulish (cf. Breton brug "heath," O.Ir. froech). Mistakenly identified in Eng. with brier/briar (1). A Mediterranean plant, it was introduced in England c.1859; the pipes are made from the roots.

brig --- 1720, colloquial shortening of brigantine (q.v.). Apparently such vessels being used for prison ships led to extended meaning "a jail," first recorded 1852.

brigade --- subdivision of an army, 1637, from Fr. brigade, from It. brigata "troop, crowd, gang," from brigare "brawl, fight," from briga "strife, quarrel," perhaps of Celt. (cf. Gael. brigh, Welsh bri "power") or Gmc. origin. Brigadier is 1678, from Fr.

brigand --- c.1400, "lightly armed foot soldier," from O.Fr. brigand, originally "foot soldier," from It. brigante "trooper, skirmisher," from brigare (see brigade). Sense of "one who lives by pillaging" is from 1421, reflecting the lack of distinction between professional mercenary armies and armed, organized criminals.

brigantine --- small two-masted ship, 1525, from M.Fr. brigandin, from It. brigantino, perhaps "skirmishing vessel, pirate ship," from brigante "skirmisher, pirate, brigand" from brigare "fight" (see brigade).

bright --- O.E. bryht, by metathesis from beorht "bright, splendid," from P.Gmc. *berkhiaz, from PIE base *bhereg- "to gleam, white" (cf. Goth. bairhts "bright," Skt. bhrajate "shines, glitters," Lith. breksta "to dawn," Welsh berth "bright, beautiful," L. flagrare "to blaze"). Meaning "quick-witted" is from 1741.

Bright's disease --- chronic nephritis, 1831, so called for Eng. physician Richard Bright (1789-1858), who in 1827 first described it.

brilliant --- 1681, from Fr. "sparkling, shining" prp. of briller "to shine," from It. brillare "sparkle, whirl," probably from V.L. *berillare, from berillus "beryl, precious stone," from L. beryllus. In reference to diamonds (1690) it means a flat-topped cut invented 17c. by Venetian cutter Vincenzo Peruzzi. Brilliance (1755) seems to be an Eng. formation.

brim --- c.1205, brymme "edge of the sea," of obscure origin, perhaps akin to O.N. barmr "rim" (probably related to Ger. bräme "margin, border, fringe"). O.E. brim meant "sea, surf," and probably was from the Gmc. stem brem- "to roar, rage." Extended by 1525 to cups, basins, hats. Brimming "being full to the brim" is from 1667.

brimstone --- O.E. brynstan, from brin- stem of brinnen "to burn" + stan "stone." Formerly "sulphur," now restricted to biblical usage. The O.N. cognate brennusteinn meant "amber," as does Ger. Bernstein.

brindled --- marked with streaks, 1678, from M.E. brended (1430), from bren "brown color" (13c.), noun made from pp. of brennen "burn," perhaps meaning "marked as though by branding or burning."

brine --- O.E. bryne, origin unknown; no known cognates beyond Du. brijn, Flem. brijne.

bring --- O.E. bringan (p.t. brohte, pp. broht), from P.Gmc. *brenganan (cf. O.Fris. brenga; M.Du. brenghen; O.H.G. bringan; Goth. briggan, p.t. brohte, pp. broht); no exact cognates outside Gmc., but it appears to be from PIE base *bhrengk-, compound based on root *bher- "to carry" (cf. L. ferre; see infer). The tendency to conjugate this as a strong verb on the model of sing, drink, etc., is ancient: O.E. also had a rare strong pp. form, brungen, corresponding to modern colloquial brung.

brink --- c.1225, from M.L.G. brink "edge," or Dan. brink "shore, bank, grassy edge," from P.Gmc. *brenkon, prob. from PIE *bhreng-, var. of base *bhren- "project, edge" (cf. Lith. brinkti "to swell"). Brinkmanship (1956) was a Cold War coinage of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, criticizing Sec. of State John Foster Dulles for "boasting of his brinkmanship, ... the art of bringing us to the edge of the nuclear abyss."

brio --- liveliness, vivacity, 1734, from It., lit. "mettle, fire, life," perhaps an aphetic derivative of L. ebrius "drunk." Or via Prov. briu "vigor," from Celt. *brig-o- "strength." Probably entered Eng. via musical instruction con brio.

briquette --- 1884, originally blocks of compressed coal dust held together by pitch, from Fr., dim. of brique (see brick).

brisk --- 1560, as Scot. bruisk, probably an alteration of Fr. brusque (q.v.).

brisket --- 1338, perhaps from O.Fr. bruschet, with identical sense of the Eng. word, or from O.N. brjosk "gristle" (related to brjost "breast") or Dan. bryske or M.H.G. brusche "lump, swelling."

bristle --- O.E. byrst "bristles," with metathesis of -r-, from P.Gmc. *bors- (cf. M.Du. borstel), from PIE *bhrsti- from base *bhar- "point, bristle" (cf. Skt. bhrstih "point, spike"). With -el, dim. suffix. The verb "become angry or excited" is 1549, from the way animals show fight.

Bristol --- City in western England, M.E. Bridgestow, from O.E., lit. "assembly place by a bridge" (see stow). A local peculiarity of pronunciation adds -l to words ending in vowels.

Britain --- 1297, Breteyne, from O.Fr. Bretaigne, from L. Britannia, earlier Brittania, from Brittani "the Britons" (see Briton). The O.E. was Breten-lond. If there was a Celt. name for the island, it has not been recorded.

britches --- 1905, from britch (1630), an old variant of breeches.

British --- O.E. Bryttisc "of or relating to ancient Britons," from Bryttas "natives of ancient Britain" (see Briton). First record of British Isles is from 1621.

Briton --- Anglo-Fr. Bretun, from L. Brittonem (nom. Britto, misspelled Brito in MSS) "a member of the tribe of the Britons," from *Britt-os, the Celtic name of the Celtic inhabitants of Britain and southern Scotland before the 5c. Anglo-Saxon invasion drove them into Wales, Cornwall, and a few other corners. In 4c. B.C.E. Gk. they are recorded as Prittanoi, which is said to mean "tattooed people." Only in historical use after O.E. period; revived when James I was proclaimed King of Great Britain in 1604, and made official at the union of England and Scotland in 1707.

brittle --- O.E. bryttian "to break to pieces," from P.Gmc. stem *brutilo- "break" (cf. O.N. brjota "to break," O.H.G. brodi "fragile"), from PIE *bhreu-, from base *bher- "to cut with a sharp point." With -le, suffix forming adjectives with meaning "liable to."

broach (n.) --- pointed instrument, c.1305, from O.Fr. broche "spit for roasting, awl," from V.L. *brocca "pointed tool," orig. fem. of L. adj. broccus "projecting, pointed" (used especially of teeth), perhaps of Gaulish origin (cf. Gaelic brog "awl").

broach (v.) --- begin to talk about, 1579, from figurative use of the lit. meaning "to pierce" (1330), with suggestions of "broaching" a cask and spurring into action (cf. O.Fr. brochier "to spur"); from the same source as broach (n.).

broad --- O.E. brad, from P.Gmc. *braithaz (cf. O.Fris. bred, O.N. breiðr, Du. breed, Ger. breit, Goth. brouþs), of unknown origin. Not found outside Gmc. languages. Slang extension to meaning "woman" (1911) may be suggestive of broad hips, but it also may trace to Amer.Eng. abroadwife, for a woman away from her husband, often a slave. Earliest use suggests immorality or coarse, low-class women. Because of this negative association, and the rise of women in athletics, the track and field broad jump was changed to the long jump c. 1967. Broadside (nautical), 1591, "the side of a ship above the water, between the bow and the quarter." Broadcast, originally "scattering seed" (1767), applied to radio waves 1921. Broadsword is O.E. brad swurd. There was a street named Broadway in many towns; the allusive use for "New York theater district" is first recorded 1881.