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more about broken
broken |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Break \Break\, v. t. [imp. {broke}, (Obs. {Brake}); p. p. {Broken}, (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr & vb n. {Breaking}.] [OE. breken, AS brecan; akin to OS brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw braka, br["a]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere Cf {Bray} to pound, {Breach}, {Fragile}.] 1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock. --Shak. 2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as to break a package of goods. 3. To lay open as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. Katharine break thy mind to me --Shak. 4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise. Out out hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray. --Milton 5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of to dissolve or terminate; as to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey. Go release them Ariel; My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore. --Shak. 6. To destroy the completeness of to remove a part from as to break a set 7. To destroy the arrangement of to throw into disorder; to pierce; as the cavalry were not able to break the British squares. 8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments. The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he had solaced the hours of captivity. --Prescott. 9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as to break a five dollar bill. 10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of as to break flax. 11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind. An old man, broken with the storms of state. --Shak. 12. To diminish the force of to lessen the shock of as a fall or blow. I'll rather leap down first and break your fall. --Dryden. 13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend. 14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as to break a horse to the harness or saddle. ``To break a colt.'' --Spenser. Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute? --Shak. 15. To destroy the financial credit of to make bankrupt; to ruin. With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks. --Dryden. 16. To destroy the official character and standing of to cashier; to dismiss. I see a great officer broken. --Swift. Note: With prepositions or adverbs: {To break down}. a To crush; to overwhelm; as to break down one's strength; to break down opposition. b To remove, or open a way through by breaking; as to break down a door or wall. {To break in}. a To force in as to break in a door. b To train; to discipline; as a horse well broken in {To break of}, to rid of to cause to abandon; as to break one of a habit. {To break off}. a To separate by breaking; as to break off a twig. b To stop suddenly; to abandon. ``Break off thy sins by righteousness.'' --Dan. iv 27. {To break open}, to open by breaking. ``Open the door, or I will break it open.'' --Shak. {To break out}, to take or force out by breaking; as to break out a pane of glass. {To break out a cargo}, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily. {To break through}. a To make an opening through as as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through as to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice. b To disregard; as to break through the ceremony. {To break up}. a To separate into parts to plow (new or fallow ground). ``Break up this capon.'' --Shak. ``Break up your fallow ground.'' --Jer. iv 3. b To dissolve; to put an end to ``Break up the court.'' --Shak. {To break} one {all up}, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. [Colloq.] Note: With an immediate object: {To break the back}. a To dislocate the backbone; hence to disable totally. b To get through the worst part of as to break the back of a difficult undertaking. {To break bulk}, to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it to begin to unload; also to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. {To break cover}, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. {To break a deer} or {stag}, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share. {To break fast}, to partake of food after abstinence. See {Breakfast}. {To break ground}. a To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like as to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad. b Fig.: To begin to execute any plan c (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom. {To break the heart}, to crush or overwhelm one with grief. {To break a house} (Law), to remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it {To break the ice}, to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject. {To break jail}, to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means {To break a jest}, to utter a jest. ``Patroclus . . . the livelong day breaks scurril jests.'' --Shak. {To break joints}, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course. {To break a lance}, to engage in a tilt or contest. {To break the neck}, to dislocate the joints of the neck. {To break no squares}, to create no trouble. [Obs.] {To break a path}, {road}, etc., to open a way through obstacles by force or labor. {To break upon a wheel}, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries. {To break wind}, to give vent to wind from the anus. Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Broken \Bro"ken\ (br[=o]"k'n), a. [From {Break}, v. t.] 1. Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments; as a broken chain or rope; a broken dish. 2. Disconnected; not continuous; also rough; uneven; as a broken surface. 3. Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart; as a broken reed; broken friendship. 4. Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships. The one being who remembered him as he been before his mind was broken. --G. Eliot. The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay, Sat by his fire, and talked the night away --Goldsmith. 5. Subdued; humbled; contrite. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. --Ps. li 17. 6. Subjugated; trained for use as a horse. 7. Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted. ``Her broken love and life.'' --G. Eliot. 8. Not carried into effect; not adhered to violated; as a broken promise, vow, or contract; a broken law. 9. Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made or of paying debts incurred; as a broken bank; a broken tradesman. 10. Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner; as broken English; imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; as to say a few broken words at parting. Amidst the broken words and loud weeping of those grave senators. --Macaulay. {Broken ground}. a (Mil.) Rough or uneven ground; as the troops were retarded in their advance by broken ground. b Ground recently opened with the plow. {Broken line} (Geom.), the straight lines which join a number of given points taken in some specified order {Broken meat}, fragments of meat or other food. {Broken number}, a fraction. {Broken weather}, unsettled weather. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: broken adj 1: physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split; or legally or emotionally destroyed; "a broken mirror"; "a broken tooth"; "a broken leg"; "his neck is broken"; "children from broken homes"; "a broken marriage"; "a broken heart" [ant: {unbroken}] 2: not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly; "broken lines of defense"; "a broken cable transmission"; "broken sleep"; "tear off the stub above the broken line"; "a broken note"; "broken sobs" [ant: {unbroken}] 3: subdued or brought low in condition or status; "brought low"; "a broken man"; "his broken spirit" [syn: {crushed}, {humbled}, {humiliated}, {low}] 4: (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded; "broken (or unkept) promises"; "broken contracts" [syn: {unkept}] [ant: {unbroken}] 5: tamed or trained to obey; "a horse broken to the saddle"; "this old nag is well broken in" [syn: {broken in}] 6: topographically very uneven; "broken terrain"; "rugged ground" [syn: {rugged}] 7: imperfectly spoken or written; "broken English" 8: thrown into a state of disarray or confusion; "troops fleeing in broken ranks"; "a confused mass of papers on the desk"; "the small disordered room"; "with everything so upset" [syn: {confused}, {disordered}, {upset}] 9: weakened and infirm; "broken health resulting from alcoholism" 10: destroyed financially; "the broken fortunes of the family" [syn: {wiped out(p)}, {impoverished}] 11: out of working order "a broken washing machine"; "the coke machine is broken"; (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken' as in "the coke machine is busted") [syn: {busted}] 12: (meteorology) discontinuous; "broken clouds"; "broken sunshine" 13: lacking a part or parts "a broken set of encyclopedia" From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: broken adj 1. Not working properly (of programs). 2. Behaving strangely; especially (when used of people) exhibiting extreme depression. From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: broken Not working properly (of programs).
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