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Broach vs Broch - What's the difference?

broach | broch |

As nouns the difference between broach and broch

is that broach is a series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel while broch is a type of Iron Age stone tower with hollow double-skinned walls found on Orkney and Shetland and parts of the Scottish mainland.

As a verb broach

is to make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid.

broach

English

Etymology 1

(etyl) broche, from

Noun

(es)
  • A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. (rfex)
  • (masonry) A broad chisel for stone-cutting.
  • A spit for cooking food.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • He turned a broach that had worn a crown.
  • An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers.
    • (Forby)
  • (architecture, UK, dialect) A spire rising from a tower.
  • A spit-like start on the head of a young stag.
  • The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping.
    • (Knight)
  • The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.

    • Verb

    (es)
  • To make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid.
  • To open, to make an opening into; to pierce.
    • French knights at Agincourt were unable to broach the English line.
  • (senseid) (figuratively) To begin discussion about (something).
    • I broached the subject of contraceptives carefully when the teenager mentioned his promiscuity.
  • * 1913 ,
    • Yet he was much too much scared of broaching any man, let alone one in a peaked cap, to dare to ask.
  • * 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), Chapter VI
    • I have tried on several occasions to broach the subject of my love to Lys; but she will not listen.
    Related terms
    *

    Etymology 2

    (en)

    Verb

    (es)
  • To be turned sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves.
    • The small boat broached and nearly sank, because of the large waves.
  • To cause to turn sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves.
  • To be overcome or submerged by a wave or surge of water.
    • Each time we came around into the wind, the sea broached our bow.

    References

    English terms with multiple etymologies

    broch

    English

    (wikipedia broch)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaeology) A type of Iron Age stone tower with hollow double-skinned walls found on Orkney and Shetland and parts of the Scottish mainland.
  • * 1933 , (Lewis Grassic Gibbon), Cloud Howe'', Polygon 2006 (''A Scots Quair ), p. 268:
    • Finella's carles builded the Kaimes, a long line of battlements under the hills, midway a tower that was older still, a broch from the days of the Pictish men […].
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