broken
pronunciation
How to pronounce broken in British English:
UK [ˈbrəʊkən]
How to pronounce broken in American English:
US [ˈbroʊkən]
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- Adjective:
- physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split; or legally or emotionally destroyed
- not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly
- subdued or brought low in condition or status
- (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded
- tamed or trained to obey
- topographically very uneven
- imperfectly spoken or written
- thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
- weakened and infirm
- destroyed financially
- out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken')
- discontinuous
- lacking a part or parts
Word Origin
- broken (adj.)
- late 14c., past participle adjective from break (v.). Broken record in reference to someone continually repeating the same thing is from 1944, in reference to scratches on records that cause the needle to jump back and repeat. When Britain's Minister of State, Selwyn Lloyd[,] became bored with a speech by Russia's Andrei Vishinsky in UN debate, he borrowed a Dizzy Gillespie bebop expression and commented: "Dig that broken record." While most translators pondered the meaning, a man who takes English and puts it into Chinese gave this translation: "Recover the phonograph record which you have discarded." ["Jet," Oct. 15, 1953]
Example
- 1. Rules are made to be broken .
- 2. Copenhagen is the occasion to fix a broken system .
- 3. How do you mend a broken public-health system ?
- 4. My suitcase is broken and some of the contents are missing .
- 5. The cliffs are sheer , blasted smooth and bristling with broken glass .