Etymology From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originally a feminine form of Latin broccus, perhaps ultimately of Gaulish origin (see Scottish Gaelic bròg). Doublet of brochure.
Mr. S. had a large straw hat, and striped jacket and trousers, and his shirt fastened at the throat by a broach with Carry's hair, for he was always quite above wearing a neckcloth.1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VI, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 123:
She pinned a broach on her jacket. When Viv saw it, she laughed. “Is that the best you can do? A flower broach?”2012, Cara C. Putman, A Promise Born:
4
A spit for cooking food.
He turned a broach that had worn a crown.1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:
5
An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers.
It [the straw] is laid on to a considerable thickness and firmly secured by ropes or twisted straw, and pinned down by sharpened sticks called 'broaches'1840, “Cottages - Thatching”, in The Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge:
Etymology From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originally a feminine form of Latin broccus, perhaps ultimately of Gaulish origin (see Scottish Gaelic bròg). Doublet of brochure.
1
To make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid.
How often has the broached barrel proved not to be for joy and heart effusion, but for duel and head-breakage.1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):
2
To open, to make an opening into; to pierce.
French knights at Agincourt were unable to broach the English line.
3
Figuratively To begin discussion about (something).
I broached the subject of contraceptives carefully when the teenager mentioned his promiscuity.
Yet he was much too much scared of broaching any man, let alone one in a peaked cap, to dare to ask.1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter 4, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:
3 more examples
I have tried on several occasions to broach the subject of my love to Lys; but she will not listen.1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter VI, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC:
THE POCKET ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF BRITISH STEAM LOCOMOTIVES. By O. S. Nock. Blandford Press. 18s. Mr. Nock, he remarks in his preface, was "incredulous" when the idea of this book of 192 colour gravure illustrations of a representative collection of British steam locomotives from Locomotion to BR's Evening Star was broached to him.1964 December, “New Books”, in Modern Railways, page 429:
Still, both [Kate] Spicer and [Anka] Radakovich think there are some subjects, even as the outrider of sexual openness, they can't broach.1995 October 1, Nick Walker, “Women and Men: All mouth and no trousers”, in The Independent:
To be turned sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves.
The small boat broached and nearly sank, because of the large waves.
2
To cause to turn sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves (usually followed by to; also figurative).
18th C, Thomas Dibdin, Tom Bowling Here a sheer hulk lies poor Tom Bowling ... for death hath broached him to.
Each time we came around into the wind, the sea broached our bow.
3
Nautical, TransportOf a submerged submarine To break the surface of the water.
Torpedo; or similar; torpedo; or similar
The Politovskiy soared through the surface of the Atlantic like a broaching whale, coming three quarters of her length out of the water before crashing back.1984, Tom Clancy, “The Eighth Day: Friday, 10 December”, in The Hunt for Red October, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, page 193: