Definition

1. Noun:
   • A thin, savory liquid food: A simple soup typically made by simmering meat, fish, vegetables, or bones in water. It is often clear and can be consumed on its own or used as a base for other dishes like soups, sauces, and gravies.
   • The liquid resulting from simmering ingredients: The flavorful liquid produced by cooking food items in water, used as a foundational cooking liquid.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She sipped a warm bowl of chicken broth when she was sick.
  • The recipe calls for two cups of vegetable broth.
  • He used the leftover broth from the pot roast to make a delicious gravy.

Advanced Usage

• "Scotch broth": A specific type of thick soup made with barley, vegetables, and lamb or mutton broth.

  • For dinner, they served a hearty Scotch broth.

• "To be in the broth" (idiomatic, somewhat archaic): To be in a state of confusion or trouble.

  • His careless actions left the whole project in the broth.

Variants and Related Words

• Stock (noun): A similar liquid, often cooked longer and more concentrated than broth, typically made from bones. While similar, "stock" and "broth" are sometimes used interchangeably in casual cooking.

  • The chef prepared a rich beef stock for the sauce.

• Bouillon (noun): A clear broth, often dehydrated into cubes or granules for convenient use.

  • She dissolved a bouillon cube in hot water.

Synonyms

• Consommé: A clear, refined broth.
• Bouillon: (As above, a clear broth).
• Stock: (As above, a foundational cooking liquid).

Related Phrases

• "A broth of a boy" (Irish English idiom): A fine, hearty, or excellent young man.

  • Everyone in the village knew him as a broth of a boy.

• "Too many cooks spoil the broth": A common proverb meaning that if too many people are involved in a task, it will not be done well.

  • We need one clear leader for this project; too many cooks spoil the broth.

Noun

1. a thin soup of meat or fish or vegetable stock
2. liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces
   • she made gravy with a base of beef stock