Definition

1. Adjective:
   • (Of a ship): Weakened or damaged to the point where the hull sags or droops at both ends, compromising its structural integrity.
   • (Of an animal, especially a horse): Having a back that is deformed, often due to a spinal injury, a bony growth, or a congenital condition causing a dip or curvature.
   • (Of a book): Having a spine that is damaged, cracked, or broken, often causing the covers to detach or the pages to become loose.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The storm left the vessel a broken-backed wreck, barely afloat.
  • The old mare was broken-backed and could no longer be ridden.
  • I found a broken-backed copy of the novel in the attic.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use: Can describe anything that is severely damaged, weakened, or no longer functional in its structure or support.
  • After the scandal, the company was like a broken-backed institution, struggling to survive.

Variants and Related Words

• Broken (adj): Separated into pieces; fractured; not functioning.
• Decrepit (adj): Worn out or ruined because of age or neglect.
• Damaged (adj): Harmed or injured, impairing value or usefulness.

Synonyms

• Hogged (adj, nautical): Specifically for a ship having a hull that droops at the ends).
• Deformed (adj): Misshapen or distorted in form.
• Dilapidated (adj): In a state of disrepair or ruin.

Related Phrases

• To be broken-backed: To exist in a state of severe structural failure or weakness.
  • The administration was broken-backed after the series of resignations.

Related Idioms

• On its last legs: Very weak or near the end of its functional life (similar in conveying a state of near collapse).
  • The broken-backed truck was finally on its last legs.

Adjective

1. (of a ship) so weakened as to sag at each end
2. (of a horse) having bones of the back united by a bony growth
3. having the spine damaged
   • a broken-backed book
   • a broken-backed old horse