To “broach” a subject means to introduce or bring up a topic, especially one that may be delicate, new, or difficult to discuss. For example, someone might broach the issue of salaries in a meeting or broach the idea of relocating to another city.
In use
She carefully broached the topic of her marriage with her father.
The manager broached the possibility of restructuring the team.
Nobody wanted to broach the controversial issue at dinner.
The word traces back to Old French broche, meaning a pointed tool or sharp instrument — which itself derived from Medieval Latin brocca, meaning a spike. Historically, a broach was a pointed instrument used to pierce and draw liquid from a barrel. Publicans (people who manage a pub) would hammer the cask to insert the peg and draw the liquid out. This process is known as “broaching” the barrel.
Over time, the physical act of “opening up” a vessel became a metaphor for “opening up” a conversation or subject. By the 1570s, the term had evolved to mean introducing a new or sensitive topic for discussion.
Interestingly, broach and brooch (the ornamental pin worn on clothing) share the same Old French root. Both originally referred to a pointed pin or clasp. Over centuries, the spellings diverged: brooch was retained for the jewelry, while broach took on the verbal sense of piercing or opening something up. The two are commonly confused even today.
