broomstick

English

Alternative forms

• broom-stick

Etymology

broom +‎ stick

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹum.stɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

broomstick (plural broomsticks)

1. The handle of a broom (sweeping tool).
2. A broom imbued with magic, enabling one to fly astride the handle.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 106:

     Witches of all ages attended these lively gatherings by flying away on their broomsticks[.]

   • 1997, Diana Wynne Jones, Witch Week‎^[2]:

     She really was a witch now. No one but a witch could fly a broomstick.

   • 1999, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, →ISBN:

     Harry ripped the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. [...] It was a Firebolt, identical to the dream broom Harry had gone to see every day in Diagon Alley.

   • 2002, Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad, page 97:

     Greebo, hiccuping occasionally, oozed into his accustomed place among the bristles of Nanny’s broomstick. As they rose above the forest a thin plume of smoke also rose from the castle.

   • 2003, David Pickering, Cassell's Dictionary of Superstitions‎^[3]:

     Most people are familiar with the age-old superstition that witches fly on broomsticks to their covens (though they were formerly also reputed to use shovels, cleft sticks, eggshells, ANIMALS and other means of flight).

3. (military slang) A controlstick of an airplane.
4. (slang, rare) A gun.

   Synonyms: boomstick, broom

   • 2020 January 19, Sin Squad & Mloose (lyrics and music), “Don't Ride Back”:

     Gangdem known for the shootings, go ask Ramz – got whooshed with a broomstick.

Derived terms

• broomsticking
• broomstickless
• broomsticklike
• marry over the broomstick

 

Translations

the handle of a broom

• Danish: kosteskaft (da) n
• Dutch: bezemsteel (nl) m
• French: manche à balai (fr) m
• German: Besenstiel (de) m
• Greek: σκουπόξυλο (el) pl (skoupóxylo)
• Hungarian: seprűnyél (hu)
• Italian: manico di scopa m
• Japanese: ほうきの柄 (ほうきのえ, hōki no e)
• Norwegian: kosteskaft n, sopelime (no) m
• Plautdietsch: Bassemstock m
• Polish: kij od miotły m
• Portuguese: cabo de vassoura (pt) m
• Sicilian: vastuni (scn) m, marruggiu (scn) m
• Swedish: kvastskaft (sv) n
• Tagalog: tangkay ng walis

a broom imbued with magic

• French: balai magique m
• German: (fliegender) Besenstiel m
• Irish: scuab caillí f

Verb

broomstick (third-person singular simple present broomsticks, present participle broomsticking, simple past and past participle broomsticked)

1. (intransitive) To fly on a broomstick, as witches are said to.
   • 1955, Grade Teacher, volume 73, page 14:

     BATTY: But, Mother Witch, I want to go broomsticking, too.

   • 2006, Brandi Scollins-Mantha, Floaters, page 75:

     Cynthia the Witch, whenever she broomsticked back into town would not even be given the chance to lay eyes on my machine or my clothes.