| 释义 |
bro·ken
I. \ˈbrōkən sometimes -kəŋ\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English brocen, from past participle of brecan to break
1. : violently separated into parts : in a state resulting from breaking : in fragments : shattered
< a vase broken by a fall >
< broken bits of glass >
2. : damaged or altered by or as if by breaking: as
a. of body parts : fractured, ruptured
< a broken leg >
often : having the surface interrupted or flawed (as by a cut or blow)
< there'll be more than one broken head before morning >
b. obsolete : torn, rent — used chiefly of fabrics
c. of land or land surfaces : rough and irregular, interrupted (as by cliffs and ravines), or full of obstacles to passage (as rocks, ledges, or gullies)
< a broken country full of springs and streams >
< a long broken ridge >
d. : violated by transgression : with integrity destroyed
< a broken promise >
e. : made discontinuous or altered in direction (as by bending or refraction)
< the broken antennae of most weevils >
< light rays broken by a prism >
sometimes : zigzag
< following a broken course >
f. : interrupted, discontinuous
< a broken sleep >
< the broken pattern of his thoughts >
g. of weather : unsettled; also of clouds : overspreading much but not all of the sky
h. : disrupted by change
< a home broken by sickness >
i. of a plant or flower : affected with break
< a broken tulip >
j. of cream : separating into large aggregates when shaken due to the action of certain bacteria
k. of an animal's coat : molting
3. : reduced in condition: as
a. : made weak or infirm (as by disease, age, or hardships)
b. : subdued, crushed
< a broken spirit >
c. : ruined financially : bankrupt
d. : made submissive : trained for use
< a well-broken horse >
e. : cashiered or reduced in rank
< he was broken from sergeant to private >
: ruined officially or professionally
< his career was broken by the scandal >
f. Scotland : declared an outlaw
< apprehend all such freebooters and broken men >
4. : disconnected : not continuous: as
a. : uttered hesitantly and disjointedly on account of emotion
< a few broken words at parting >
b. : imperfectly spoken or written especially by a foreigner
< broken English >
5.
a. archaic : forming or consisting of remnants or leavings especially when fragmentary
< broken beer >
< broken meats >
b. : not complete
< a broken line of goods >
or completely full
< a broken bale of wool >
often : containing fewer than the standard number of sheets or boards but not necessarily of poor quality
< as broken ream >
< a broken bundle >
< a broken carton >
6. of paper : of uneven quality (as when soiled or spotted more than retree)
7.
a. of a color : dulled by an admixture of gray : saddened; also : produced by blending of primary colors
b. of color effects in painting : produced by laying component color elements side by side on canvas or other surface so that at a distance they appear to blend
c. : consisting of two usually discrete colors — used chiefly of animal eyes and coats
< a broken red and black coat >
8. of a vowel sound : diphthongized by breaking
9. of a twill weave : having the diagonal lines reversed at regular intervals to produce a zigzag effect — compare herringbone
10. of a noun plural in Arabic : distinguished from the singular by a difference in vowel sounds
II. noun
(-s)
: broke 3 — used chiefly in paper mills
III. adjective
: disunited by divorce, separation, or the desertion of one parent
< broken homes >
< a broken family > |