broom

Definition

A domestic utensil with fibers bound together at the end of a long handle, used for sweeping.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English brom, from Old English brōm (“brushwood”), from Proto-West Germanic *brām (“bramble”) (compare Saterland Frisian Brom, West Frisian brem, Dutch braam, German Low German Braam), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem-, from *bʰer- ‘edge’. Related to brim, brink. Replaced English besom (from Old English besma (“broom, rod”)), which is now restricted in meaning to a particular kind of broom. (shotgun): So called because it is (like the cleaning utensil) long and held similarly to a besom and “cleans” what is in front.

Example Sentences

• "Meronyms: broomstick (handle), bavin (head)"
• "At the same time, the encroachment of vegetation proceeds apace, and broom and brambles have already made portions of the line impassable, even on foot."
• "[…] and thy broom groves, Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves, Being lass-lorn […]"