Adjacent Words

Brooch definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BROOCH, n. broche.
1. An ornamental utensil for fastening the vest, or the bosom of a shirt, as formerly used in America. It is usually made of silver, often round, with a tongue crossing its diameter, sometimes with two tongues. It formerly was used in England, as it was in America, and is still in the highlands of Scotland.
2. A jewel.
3. With painters, a painting all of one color.
BROOCH, v.t. To adorn or furnish with brooches or jewels.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a decorative pin worn by women [syn: brooch, broach, breastpin] v
1: fasten with or as if with a brooch [syn: brooch, clasp]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English broche pointed tool, brooch — more at broach Date: 13th century an ornament that is held by a pin or clasp and is worn at or near the neck

Britannica Concise

Ornamental pin with a clasp to attach it to a garment. Brooches developed from the Greek and Roman fibula, which resembled a decorative safety pin and was used as a fastening for cloaks and tunics. Brooches have been made in a wide variety of shapes throughout history, the ornamentation and design varying from region to region. In the 19th cent., with the expansion of wealth and the creation of a market for inexpensive jewelry, the brooch became a popular form of personal decoration.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. an ornament fastened to clothing with a hinged pin. Etymology: ME broche = BROACH n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Brooch Brooch (br[=o]ch; 277), n. [See Broach, n.] 1. An ornament, in various forms, with a tongue, pin, or loop for attaching it to a garment; now worn at the breast by women; a breastpin. Formerly worn by men on the hat. Honor 's a good brooch to wear in a man's hat. --B. Jonson. 2. (Paint.) A painting all of one color, as a sepia painting, or an India painting.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Brooch Brooch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brooched (br[=o]cht).] To adorn as with a brooch. [R.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(brooches) A brooch is a small piece of jewellery which has a pin at the back so it can be fastened on a dress, blouse, or coat. N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

broch (chach): Used in plural by the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version "bracelets") for a class of "jewels of gold" brought as offerings by both men and women of Israel (Ex 35:22). "Brooches," as Mackie says, is unoriental. The Hebrew word means most likely nose-rings.

See BRACELET; RING.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Pin, clasp, broach.

Moby Thesaurus

anklet, armlet, bangle, beads, bijou, bracelet, breastpin, broach, chain, chaplet, charm, chatelaine, circle, clasp, clip, coronet, crown, diadem, earring, fastening, fob, gem, jewel, locket, necklace, nose ring, pin, precious stone, rhinestone, ring, stickpin, stone, tiara, torque, wampum, wristband, wristlet