broom
UK: /bruːm/ | US: /bruːm/
n. a long-handled brush used for sweeping
n. a flowering shrub with yellow or white flowers (genus Cytisus or Genista)
broom = bro<plant> + om (no distinct suffix; Old English residual form)
- bro<plant>: From Old English brōm, referring to the broom shrub.
- om: No standalone meaning; residual ending in Old English.
Etymology Origin:
The word "broom" originally referred to the yellow-flowered shrub (Cytisus scoparius), whose twigs were historically bound together to make sweeping tools. Over time, the name transferred to the cleaning tool itself, illustrating a metonymic shift from material to product. The Old English brōm is of Germanic origin, related to Dutch brem and German Brombeere (blackberry, another shrub).
She swept the floor with a sturdy broom.
The hills were covered in blooming broom shrubs.
He fashioned a makeshift broom from twigs.
Broom handles are often made of wood or plastic.
The witch in the tale rode a broom across the moon.