Brewed and brood are are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words brewed and brood, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.
Brewed is the past tense of the word brew, which means to concoct an alcoholic beverage such as a beer through fermentation or a nonalcoholic beverage such as tea by steeping with hot water. Brew may also mean to develop an unpleasant situation. Related words are brew, brews, brewing. The word brew is derived from the Old English word brēowan, meaning to brew.
Brood may be used as a noun to mean 1.) a group of young animals or birds 2.) the larvae of stinging insects like wasps or bees 3.) a large group of children. Brood may be used as a verb to mean 1.) to sit on a nest to keep eggs warm so they may hatch 2.) to ruminate on gloomy matters or to think incessantly about something unpleasant. The word brood is derived from the Old English word brod, meaning to hatch eggs in a nest.
Examples
Crook & Marker uses organic alcohol brewed with ancient grains (like quinoa, amaranth and millet) and cassava root. (The Daily Herald)
Whittaker’s chocolate have partnered with Bundaberg Brewed Drinks to produce a soft drink-inspired ‘brewed ginger’ flavoured block. (The Daily Mail)
As for cicadas, what’s more conclusive right now: They tend to draw the most attention during brood years — when as many as 1.5 million cicadas synchronously emerge per acre — and that’s not happening in Philadelphia this summer. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The mid-July state Game and Fish Department survey indicated duck broods were comparable to last year and 52% above the long-term average, which goes back more than half a century. (The Bismarck Tribune)