English Explanatory Dictionary

brood

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time by the same mother.
  2. The young of any egg-laying creature, especially if produced at the same time.
  3. The eggs and larvae of social insects such as bees, ants and some wasps, especially when gathered together in special brood chambers or combs within the colony.
  4. The children in one family; offspring.
  5. That which is bred or produced; breed; species.
  6. Parentage.
  7. Heavy waste in tin and copper ores.
  8. A large number or crowd of people, animals, or objects.
adj
  1. Kept or reared for breeding.
verb
  1. To keep an egg warm to make it hatch.
  2. To protect (something that is gradually maturing); to foster.
  3. (typically with over, on or about) To dwell upon one's thoughts moodily and at length, mainly alone.
  4. To be bred.

Pronunciation

/bɹuːd/ en-us-brood.ogg /bɹʉd/

Word forms

brood broods brooding brooded

Etymology

From Middle English brood, brod, from Old English brōd (“brood; foetus; breeding, hatching”), from Proto-Germanic *brōduz (“heat, breeding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“breath, mist, vapour, steam”).

Related words

flock litter young get issue offspring posterity progeny seed kin

Derived words

abrood brood cell brood chamber brood cocoon broodfish broodless broodling brood mare brood nest brood parasite brood-parasitic brood parasitism brood patch brood pouch brood size brood sow broodstock chalkbrood foulbrood interbrood intrabrood multibrood sacbrood stonebrood brood above brooder broodsome broody overbrood
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