Result from Foreign Dictionaries (4 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. {broke} (br[=o]k), (Obs. {Brake}); p. p. {Broken} (br[=o]"k'n), (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr. & vb. n. {Breaking}.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw. braka, br[aum]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. {Bray} to pound, {Breach}, {Fragile}.] 1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods. [1913 Webster] 3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. [1913 Webster] Katharine, break thy mind to me. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise. [1913 Webster] Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray. --Milton [1913 Webster] 5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey. [1913 Webster] Go, release them, Ariel; My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set. [1913 Webster] 7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares. [1913 Webster] 8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments. [1913 Webster] The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he had solaced the hours of captivity. --Prescott. [1913 Webster] 9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill. [1913 Webster] 10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax. [1913 Webster] 11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind. [1913 Webster] An old man, broken with the storms of state. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow. [1913 Webster] I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] 13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend. [1913 Webster] 14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. "To break a colt." --Spenser. [1913 Webster] Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute? --Shak. [1913 Webster] 15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin. [1913 Webster] With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] 16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. [1913 Webster] I see a great officer broken. --Swift. [1913 Webster] Note: With prepositions or adverbs: [1913 Webster] {To break down}. (a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition. (b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. {To break in}. (a) To force in; as, to break in a door. (b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in. {To break of}, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit. {To break off}. (a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig. (b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. "Break off thy sins by righteousness." --Dan. iv. 27. {To break open}, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I will break it open." --Shak. {To break out}, to take or force out by breaking; as, to break out a pane of glass. {To break out a cargo}, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily. {To break through}. (a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice. (b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. {To break up}. (a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). "Break up this capon." --Shak. "Break up your fallow ground." --Jer. iv. 3. (b) To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court." --Shak. {To break} (one) {all up}, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] Note: With an immediate object: [1913 Webster] {To break the back}. (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally. (b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking. {To break bulk}, to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. {To break a code} to discover a method to convert coded messages into the original understandable text. {To break cover}, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. {To break a deer} or {To break a stag}, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share. {To break fast}, to partake of food after abstinence. See {Breakfast}. {To break ground}. (a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad. (b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan. (c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom. {To break the heart}, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief. {To break a house} (Law), to remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it. {To break the ice}, to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject. {To break jail}, to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means. {To break a jest}, to utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . the livelong day breaks scurril jests." --Shak. {To break joints}, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course. {To break a lance}, to engage in a tilt or contest. {To break the neck}, to dislocate the joints of the neck. {To break no squares}, to create no trouble. [Obs.] {To break a path}, {road}, etc., to open a way through obstacles by force or labor. {To break upon a wheel}, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries. {To break wind}, to give vent to wind from the anus. [1913 Webster] Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Broken \Bro"ken\ (br[=o]"k'n), a. [From {Break}, v. t.] 1. Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments; as, a broken chain or rope; a broken dish. [1913 Webster] 2. Disconnected; not continuous; also, rough; uneven; as, a broken surface. [1913 Webster] 3. Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart; as, a broken reed; broken friendship. [1913 Webster] 4. Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships. [1913 Webster] The one being who remembered him as he been before his mind was broken. --G. Eliot. [1913 Webster] The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay, Sat by his fire, and talked the night away. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster] 5. Subdued; humbled; contrite. [1913 Webster] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. --Ps. li. 17. [1913 Webster] 6. Subjugated; trained for use, as a horse. [1913 Webster] 7. Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted. "Her broken love and life." --G. Eliot. [1913 Webster] 8. Not carried into effect; not adhered to; violated; as, a broken promise, vow, or contract; a broken law. [1913 Webster] 9. Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made, or of paying debts incurred; as, a broken bank; a broken tradesman. [1913 Webster] 10. Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner; as, broken English; imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; as, to say a few broken words at parting. [1913 Webster] Amidst the broken words and loud weeping of those grave senators. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster] {Broken ground}. (a) (Mil.) Rough or uneven ground; as, the troops were retarded in their advance by broken ground. (b) Ground recently opened with the plow. {Broken line} (Geom.), the straight lines which join a number of given points taken in some specified order. {Broken meat}, fragments of meat or other food. {Broken number}, a fraction. {Broken weather}, unsettled weather. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: broken adj 1: physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split; "a broken mirror"; "a broken tooth"; "a broken leg"; "his neck is broken" [ant: {unbroken}] 2: not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly; "broken lines of defense"; "a broken cable transmission"; "broken sleep"; "tear off the stub above the broken line"; "a broken note"; "broken sobs" [ant: {unbroken}] 3: subdued or brought low in condition or status; "brought low"; "a broken man"; "his broken spirit" [syn: {broken}, {crushed}, {humbled}, {humiliated}, {low}] 4: (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded; "broken (or unkept) promises"; "broken contracts" [syn: {broken}, {unkept}] [ant: {kept}, {unbroken}] 5: tamed or trained to obey; "a horse broken to the saddle"; "this old nag is well broken in" [syn: {broken}, {broken in}] 6: topographically very uneven; "broken terrain"; "rugged ground" [syn: {broken}, {rugged}] 7: imperfectly spoken or written; "broken English" 8: thrown into a state of disarray or confusion; "troops fleeing in broken ranks"; "a confused mass of papers on the desk"; "the small disordered room"; "with everything so upset" [syn: {broken}, {confused}, {disordered}, {upset}] 9: weakened and infirm; "broken health resulting from alcoholism" 10: destroyed financially; "the broken fortunes of the family" [syn: {broken}, {wiped out(p)}, {impoverished}] 11: out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken'); "a broken washing machine"; "the coke machine is broken"; "the coke machine is busted" [syn: {broken}, {busted}] 12: discontinuous; "broken clouds"; "broken sunshine" 13: lacking a part or parts; "a broken set of encyclopedia" From The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) [jargon]: broken adj. 1. Not working according to design (of programs). This is the mainstream sense. 2. Improperly designed, This sense carries a more or less disparaging implication that the designer should have known better, while sense 1 doesn't necessarily assign blame. Which of senses 1 or 2 is intended is conveyed by context and nonverbal cues. 3. Behaving strangely; especially (when used of people) exhibiting extreme depression.