broody

[ broo-dee ]
See synonyms for broody on Thesaurus.com
adjective,brood·i·er, brood·i·est.
  1. moody; gloomy.

  2. inclined to sit on eggs: a broody hen.

Origin of broody

1
First recorded in 1505–15; brood + -y1

Other words from broody

  • brood·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby broody

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use broody in a sentence

  • When she finally got broody she was given seventeen eggs and allowed to settle down to the task of incubating Christmas dinners.

  • A broody blackbird 'chinked' anxiously, and a pigeon wheeled aside with a 'swoof.'

    Lives of the Fur Folk | M. D. Haviland
  • The chickens may be saved either by removing them to other broody hens or by putting them in a flannel wrapping in a warm place.

    Our Domestic Birds | John H. Robinson
  • Because the broody hen makes a clucking noise, she is sometimes called a clucking hen.

    Our Domestic Birds | John H. Robinson
  • There is no way of forcing or inducing hens to become broody before they would do so of their own accord.

    Our Domestic Birds | John H. Robinson

British Dictionary definitions for broody

broody

/ (ˈbruːdɪ) /


adjectivebroodier or broodiest
  1. moody; meditative; introspective

  2. (of poultry) wishing to sit on or hatch eggs

  1. informal (of a woman) wishing to have a baby of her own

Derived forms of broody

  • broodiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012