—adj.
1 that has been broken; out of order.
2 (of a person) reduced to despair; beaten.
3 (of a language or of speech) spoken falteringly and with many mistakes, as by a foreigner (broken English).
4 disturbed, interrupted (broken time).
5 uneven (broken ground).
Phrases and idioms:
broken chord Mus. a chord in which the notes are played successively. broken-down
1 worn out by age, use, or ill-treatment.
2 out of order. broken-hearted overwhelmed with sorrow or grief. broken-heartedness grief. broken home a family in which the parents are divorced or separated. broken reed a person who has become unreliable or ineffective. broken wind heaves (see HEAVE n. 3). broken-winded (of a horse) disabled by ruptured air-cells in the lungs.
Derivatives:
brokenly adv. brokenness n.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.