broad: [OE] Broad’s close relatives are widespread in the Germanic languages (German breit, for example, Dutch breed, and Swedish bred), pointing to a prehistoric Germanic ancestor *braithaz, but no trace of the word is found in any non-Germanic Indo-European language. The original derived noun was brede, which was superseded in the 16th century by breadth. The 20th-century American slang noun use ‘woman’ may come from an obsolete American compound broadwife, short for abroadwife, meaning ‘woman away from her husband’; this was a term applied to female slaves in relation to their new ‘masters’. => breadth
broad (adj.)
Old English brad "broad, flat, open, extended," from Proto-Germanic *braithaz (cognates: Old Frisian bred, Old Norse breiðr, Dutch breed, German breit, Gothic brouþs), which is of unknown origin. Not found outside Germanic languages. No clear distinction in sense from wide. Related: Broadly. Broad-brim as a style of hat (1680s, broad-brimmed) in 18c.-19c. suggested "Quaker male" from their characteristic attire.
broad (n.)
"woman," slang, 1911, perhaps suggestive of broad (adj.) hips, but it also might trace to American English abroadwife, word for a woman (often a slave) away from her husband. Earliest use of the slang word suggests immorality or coarse, low-class women. Because of this negative association, and the rise of women's athletics, the track and field broad jump was changed to the long jump c. 1967.
实用例句
1. The hills rise green and sheer above the broad river.
这些小山碧绿陡峭，矗立在这条宽阔的河流之上。
来自柯林斯例句
2. It rapidly became apparent that rock'n'roll was a very broad church indeed.
摇滚乐实际无所不包，这一点很快就显而易见了。
来自柯林斯例句
3. A girl was attacked on a train in broad daylight.
光天化日之下，一个女孩在火车上遭到了袭击。
来自柯林斯例句
4. The fat, broad tyres had a good depth of tread.
这种宽大的轮胎有很深的胎面花纹。
来自柯林斯例句
5. He was following a broad trail through the trees.
