Other forms: broached, broaching, broaches
To broach is to raise a subject, or to pierce a cask. Broach the subject, broach the question, broach a barrel.
The two senses are the same act: piercing a cask lets what is inside come out, and broaching a subject opens something that was closed. It is nearly always used of difficult subjects. Note the spelling against brooch, the pin, which is the same word — a brooch is a pointed thing.
1verbbroachTo raise a subject for the first time.
“I didn't know how to broach the subject of money with my parents.”
2verbpierceTo pierce a cask.
“The innkeeper broached a new barrel of ale for the wedding guests.”
broach is an opening.
Old French broche means a spit or pointed tool, from Vulgar Latin brocca. Brooch and brochure come from the same point.
Middle English
broche
English, today
broach
From Middle English broche. From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin brocca, originally a feminine form of Latin broccus, perhaps ultimately of cel-gau - origin (see Scottish Gaelic bròg). a doublet of brochure.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire