*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of broke

Ablauted form of break.

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

simple past of break · past participle of break

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Ablauted form of break.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "break",
      "break#English"
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "simple past of break",
        "past participle of break"
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
adj

Financially ruined, bankrupt. · Without any money, penniless. · Broken. · Demoted, deprived of a commission.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Ablauted form of break.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "broke",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Financially ruined, bankrupt.",
        "Without any money, penniless.",
        "Broken.",
        "Demoted, deprived of a commission."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Paper or board that is discarded and repulped during the manufacturing process. · A fragment, remains, a piece broken off.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English broce, from Old English gebroc (“fragment”), from brecan (“to break”). Compare broken, past participle of break. Compare also Scots brock (“a scrap of meat or bread”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionbroceenm
  • Inherited-form mentiongebrocang · fragment
  • Cognate mentionbrocksco · a scrap of meat or bread
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "break",
      "break#English"
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To act as a broker; to transact business for another; synonym of broker. · To act as procurer in love matters; to pimp.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Back-formation from broker.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
adj

Broke off, rich, wealthy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of broke off.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for broke →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YnJva2U