What does broach mean?
To broach something is to introduce it into conversation or action, especially when doing so requires courage or delicacy. People typically broach subjects that are sensitive, awkward, or potentially unwelcome — money, illness, grievances, resignations — which gives the verb a connotation of careful timing and tact: you broach a matter rather than simply raising it. The word also retains an older, physical sense of piercing or opening something sealed, such as a cask of wine, though this use now sounds literary or archaic. In engineering, a broach is a toothed cutting tool drawn through a hole to enlarge it precisely. Derived from Latin roots via Old French, 'broach' shares ancestry with the unrelated-looking 'brooch', the ornamental pin, both ultimately from a Latin adjective describing something pointed or projecting. Whether in a tense family discussion or a machinist's workshop, 'broach' remains a precise, useful English word with a surprisingly sharp history.
To raise a sensitive or difficult subject for discussion.
"It took him weeks to broach the subject of moving abroad with his parents."
A pointed cutting tool used in machining to enlarge or give final shape to a hole.
"The machinist selected a square broach to cut the keyway."
Applies only to the noun sense referring to the machining tool.
"The workshop kept a set of broaches in graduated sizes."
The word you use when you nervously 'broach' a touchy subject comes from the same ancient root as the sparkly 'brooch' on your jacket — both trace back to a Latin word meaning 'pointed'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broach
'Broach' entered Middle English from Old French 'broche', meaning a skewer or pointed instrument, ultimately deriving from the Latin 'broccus', meaning projecting or pointed. The verb originally meant to pierce with a pointed tool, hence the sense of tapping a cask; the figurative sense of introducing a new subject developed later by analogy with opening something up. The same Latin root gave English the noun 'brooch' and, more distantly, influenced words like 'broccoli', whose name refers to the vegetable's sprouting, projecting florets.
How broach is actually used
'Broach' in its most common modern sense — raising a delicate topic — carries a slightly formal or careful tone; it implies tact and hesitation, since one typically only broaches subjects that are awkward or contentious. The older sense of opening a cask survives chiefly in literary contexts. The noun sense belongs mainly to engineering and machining vocabulary.
Easily confused with broach
A brooch is an ornamental pin worn on clothing, whereas 'broach' as a verb means to raise a sensitive topic and as a noun denotes a machining tool — they are distinct words despite sharing a root.