What does broaching mean?
Broaching is the present participle of the verb 'to broach', which today most commonly means to begin discussing a subject that is delicate, awkward, or otherwise unspoken — one might hesitate before broaching the topic of money, illness, or a colleague's mistakes. The word carries an implication of carefulness: whatever is being raised has been held back, and the speaker is choosing the moment to open it up. A second sense preserves the word's older meaning of physically piercing or opening something, especially tapping a cask of wine or beer. In nautical usage, 'broaching' also describes a boat swinging broadside to the waves, a dangerous maneuver sailors work hard to avoid. Derived ultimately from a Latin word for pointed objects, it shares ancestry with 'brooch' and even 'broccoli'. Its figurative force — opening a sealed container of conversation — makes it a precise and evocative choice.
verb (present participle of 'broach')The act of beginning to discuss a sensitive or difficult subject, or of opening something up (such as a cask) for use. In nautical contexts, it describes a boat swinging so its side faces the waves.
- To begin discussing a delicate, difficult, or previously unmentioned subject.
- To pierce or open something, especially a cask or container tapped for its contents.
- (Nautical) Of a boat: to veer suddenly so that its side is turned toward oncoming waves.
"She hesitated before finally broaching the subject of his resignation."
"After dinner, he gently began broaching the matter of the family's finances."
"The crew worked desperately to prevent the yacht from broaching in the heavy swell."
When you 'broach' a topic, you're literally doing what medieval ale-servers did with a spear: piercing the cask to let what's inside flow out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broaching
The verb derives from Middle English 'brochen', borrowed from Old French 'brochier', meaning to pierce with a pointed instrument. This traces back to Vulgar Latin '*brocca', a pointed tool, itself from Latin 'broccus' ('projecting, pointed'), the same root that gives us 'brooch' — historically the same word as 'broach' — and, via Italian, 'broccoli'. The original literal sense was piercing a cask to draw off liquor, and by the sixteenth century the figurative sense of introducing a subject had developed from this image of tapping a sealed vessel.
Related word forms
How broaching is actually used
Most often used transitively in modern English, almost exclusively with 'the subject', 'the topic', or 'the question' as the object. The nautical sense is specialized and largely confined to sailing contexts. The word carries no strong register — it fits equally well in formal writing and everyday speech.
Easily confused with broaching
'Broaching' means raising a topic or opening something up, while 'breaching' means breaking through or violating something such as a contract, wall, or rule.