Webster's English Dictionary

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broad

1. broad \'bro.d\ aj [ME brood, fr. OE bra-d; akin to OHG breit broad] 1: 
   extended in breadth : WIDE  2: extending far and wide : SPACIOUS  3a: OPEN, 
   FULL  3b: PLAIN, OBVIOUS  4: marked by lack of restraint, delicacy, or 
   subtlety :  obs  4a: OUTSPOKEN  4b: COARSE, INDELICATE {~ stories}  5a: 
   LIBERAL, CATHOLIC {~ views}  5b: widely applicable or applied : GENERAL  6: 
   relating to the main or essential points {~ outlines}  7: dialectal esp. in 
   pronunciation  of a vowel  8: OPEN - used specif. of a pronounced as in 
   fatherMBROAD and WIDE apply to a surface measured or viewed from side to 
   side {broad pathway} WIDE is more common when units of measurement are 
   mentioned {rugs eight feet wide} or applied to unfilled space between 
   limits {wide doorway} BROAD is preferred when full horizontal extent is 
   considered {broad shoulders} DEEP may indicate horizontal extent away from 
   the observer or from a front or peripheral point {a deep lot} {deep woods} 
   - broad.ly av SYN syn BROAD, WIDE, DEEP mean having horizontal extent. ( 
2. broad av : BROADLY, WIDELY {~ awake} 
3. broad n 1: the broad part (as of the hand)  Brit  2: an expansion of a 
   river - often used in pl.  slang  3: WOMAN