English Reference
Adverb

abrood

adv.
C2 Proficiency abrood

adv.in a state of deep thought or worry. You use this when someone is sitting quietly and thinking about something serious.

adv.in a state of deep contemplation or anxious brooding. Archaic in modern usage; primarily found in historical or literary contexts.


SIMPLE

He sat abrood in the corner of the room.

CONTEXTUAL

The old man sat abrood by the fire, his face hidden in the shadows of his hat.

COMPLEX

The protagonist spent the entire evening abrood, his mind consumed by the weight of the secret he had just uncovered.


From Middle English abrod, equivalent to a- + brood.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English abrod
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Rare
Updated