broom

broom
\ \ [OE] Broom was originally the name of the yellow-flowered bush; its application to the long-handled brush did not come about until the 15th century (the underlying notion is of a brush made from broom twigs tied to a handle). The plant-name occurs throughout the Germanic languages, but it is applied to quite a wide range of plants: Old High German brāmma, for instance, is a ‘wild rose’; Old Saxon hiopbrāmio is a ‘hawthorn bush’; and English bramble probably comes from the same source.
\ \ Cf.BRAMBLE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Broom — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Bobby Broom (*1961), US amerikanischer Jazzgitarrist und Musikpädagoge Jacob Broom (1752–1810), US amerikanischer Politiker Jacob Broom (1808–1864), US amerikanischer Politiker James M. Broom (1776–1850),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Broom — (br[=oo]m), n. [OE. brom, brome, AS. br[=o]m; akin to LG. bram, D. brem, OHG. br[=a]mo broom, thorn?bush, G. brombeere blackberry. Cf. {Bramble}, n.] 1. (Bot.) A plant having twigs suitable for making brooms to sweep with when bound together; esp …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • BROOM — BROOM, the biblical rotem (Ar. ratam), the wild shrub Retam roetam, widespread in the deserts of Israel and in sandy regions. It produces a few leaves in the winter, which it sheds in the summer, its green stalks filling the function of the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • broom — broom; broom·ie; broom·ing; broom·rape; broom·stick; …   English syllables

  • broom|y — «BROO mee», adjective. 1. covered with or abounding in broom. 2. of a broom or besom. 3. like broom or a broom …   Useful english dictionary

  • broom — brüm, bru̇m n any of various leguminous shrubs (esp. genera Cytisus and Genista) with long slender branches, upright growth, small leaves, and usu. showy yellow flowers esp SCOTCH BROOM see BROOM TOP * * * (br m) any of various s …   Medical dictionary

  • broom — [bru:m, brum] n ↑broom [: Old English; Origin: brom broom plant ;] [Sense: 1; Origin: because broom branches were used for making brushes] 1.) a large brush with a long handle, used for sweeping floors 2.) [U] a large bush with small yellow… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • broom — [bro͞om, broom] n. [ME & OE brom, brushwood < IE base * bh(e)rem , to project, a point > BERM, BRAMBLE] 1. any of a group of flowering shrubs (esp. genera Cytisus, Genista, and Spartium) of the pea family, often grown for their abundant,… …   English World dictionary

  • broom — O.E. brom broom, brushwood, the common flowering shrub whose twigs were tied together to make a tool for sweeping, from P.Gmc. *bræmaz thorny bush (Cf. Du. braam, Ger. Brombeere blackberry ), from PIE root *bh(e)rem to project, a point. Both the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • broom — ► NOUN 1) a long handled brush used for sweeping. 2) a shrub with many yellow flowers and small or few leaves. ● a new broom sweeps clean Cf. ↑a new broom sweeps clean ORIGIN Old English, related to BRAMBLE(Cf. ↑ …   English terms dictionary

  • Broom — Broom, v. t. (Naut.) See {Bream}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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