broody
/ˈbɹuːdi/ adjective, noun
Forms broodier broodiest broodies
- adjective Of birds: sitting persistently and protectively on a nest, in order to hatch eggs. “a broody hen”
- adjective Of any creature or person: showing an interest in raising young.
- adjective Brooding, dwelling upon one's thoughts; moody.
- adjective Gloomy.
- noun A female bird in the condition to incubate eggs; a broody hen, duck, etc. “There are six broodies in that coop.”
Synonyms
clucky brood hen broody hen setting hen sitter brooding contemplative meditative musing pensive pondering reflective ruminative
Etymology
From Middle English *brody, *brodi, from Old English brōdiġ (“broody”), equivalent to brood + -y. Cognate with German brütig (“broody”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “broody”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details