The Collaborative International Dictionary
Acre \A"cre\, n. [OE. aker, AS. [ae]cer; akin to OS. accar, OHG. achar, Ger. acker, Icel. akr, Sw. [*a]ker, Dan. ager, Goth. akrs, L. ager, Gr. ?, Skr. ajra. [root]2, 206.]
Any field of arable or pasture land. [Obs.]
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A piece of land, containing 160 square rods, or 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet. This is the English statute acre. That of the United States is the same. The Scotch acre was about 1.26 of the English, and the Irish 1.62 of the English.
Note: The acre was limited to its present definite quantity by statutes of Edward I., Edward III., and Henry VIII.
Broad acres, many acres, much landed estate. [Rhetorical]
God's acre, God's field; the churchyard.
I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls The burial ground, God's acre.
--Longfellow.
Broad \Broad\ (br[add]d), a. [Compar. Broader (br[add]d"[~e]r); superl. Broadest.] [OE. brod, brad, AS. br[=a]d; akin to OS. br[=e]d, D. breed, G. breit, Icel. brei[eth]r, Sw. & Dan. bred, Goth. braids. Cf. Breadth.]
Wide; extend in breadth, or from side to side; -- opposed to narrow; as, a broad street, a broad table; an inch broad.
Extending far and wide; extensive; vast; as, the broad expanse of ocean.
Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full. ``Broad and open day.''
--Bp. Porteus.-
Fig.: Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited; not restrained; -- applied to any subject, and retaining the literal idea more or less clearly, the precise meaning depending largely on the substantive.
A broad mixture of falsehood.
--Locke.Note: Hence:
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Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.
The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.
--D. Daggett.In a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way.
--E. Everett. Plain; evident; as, a broad hint.
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Free; unrestrained; unconfined.
As broad and general as the casing air.
--Shak. (Fine Arts) Characterized by breadth. See Breadth.
Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humor.
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Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent.
Note: Broad is often used in compounds to signify wide, large, etc.; as, broad-chested, broad-shouldered, broad-spreading, broad-winged.
Broad acres. See under Acre.
Broad arrow, originally a pheon. See Pheon, and Broad arrow under Arrow.
As broad as long, having the length equal to the breadth; hence, the same one way as another; coming to the same result by different ways or processes.
It is as broad as long, whether they rise to others, or bring others down to them.
--L'Estrange.Broad pennant. See under Pennant.
Syn: Wide; large; ample; expanded; spacious; roomy; extensive; vast; comprehensive; liberal.
Usage examples of "broad acres".
He had broad acres in many of Great Achaea's provinces, ably managed by stewards, but this one reminded him more of the old homeland.
Years that had brought cheap land with the disappearance of the farm as an economic unit, had sent city people scurrying out into the country where each man, for less than the price of a city lot, might own broad acres.
Our pine forest was well scorched, the dead trees all burned up, and our broad acres of manzanita swept away.
Quamodian leaned forward eagerly as the flyer glided out of the cube, and looked for the first time in his adult life on the warm, broad acres that were lit by the single sun of Earth.
They came upon many hidden pools, and broad acres of sedge waving above wet and treacherous bogs.
Unlike other nobles situated in the low country, the Minwanabi Lord need not vigilantly keep guard over broad acres of borders.