Broody
/ˈbruː.di/noun
Inclined to brood; gloomy, pensive, or, of a bird, desiring to sit on eggs and hatch them.
Did you know?Broody comes from the same ancient Germanic root as brood, originally tied to the act of sitting on eggs, so its emotional meaning grew out of a very physical, nesting image.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰrewh₁-
“To boil, bubble, or seethe; the root behind ideas of swelling and rising.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*brōdōną
“To brood, sit on eggs, or warm by incubation.”
Old English
English
brōd
“Offspring, young of birds; also the act of brooding or hatching.”
Middle English
English
brody / broodi
“Inclined to brood; sitting on eggs; later, gloomy or pensive.”
Modern English
English
broody
“Gloomily thoughtful or, of a bird, wanting to incubate eggs.”