◙ noun 1. a family of young animals, typically birds, produced at one hatching or birth • 一窝（小动物，尤指小鸟） »a brood of chicks. 一窝小鸡。 [mass noun] bee or wasp larvae • 幼蜂 [informal] all of the children in a family • [非正式] （一家的）所有孩子 »she was brought up by a loving stepfather as part of a brood of eight. 她由慈爱的继父养大，这位父亲总共拉扯大了八个孩子。 a group of things or people having a similar character • 一类（事物），一伙（人） »broods of sedentary clergymen. 几伙习惯于久坐的僧侣。 ◙ verb 1. [no obj.] think deeply about something that makes one unhappy • 沉思，念念不忘（尤指不愉快的事） »he brooded over his dead mother. 他念念不忘已故的母亲。 2. [with obj.] (of a bird) sit on (eggs) to hatch them • （鸟儿）孵（蛋） (of a fish, frog, or invertebrate) hold (developing eggs) within the body • （鱼，青蛙或无脊椎动物）孕育（幼卵） ◙ adjective 1. [attrib.] (of an animal) kept to be used for breeding • （动物）传种的，为繁殖而饲养的 »a brood mare. 一只母种马。
【语源】
1. Old English brōd, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch broed and German Brut, also to breed Sense 1 of the verb was originally used with an object, i.e. 'to nurse (feelings) in the mind' (late 16th cent.), a figurative use of the notion of a hen nursing chicks under her wings