Brood (bro͞od), n. [OE. brod, AS. brōd; akin to D. broed, OHG. bruot, G. brut, and also to G. brühe broth, MHG. brüeje, and perh. to E. brawn, breath. Cf. Breed, v. t.] 1. The young birds hatched at one time; a hatch; as, a brood of chickens.
As a hen doth gather her brood under her wings.
Luke xiii. 34.
A hen followed by a brood of ducks.
Spectator.
2. The young from the same dam, whether produced at the same time or not; young children of the same mother, especially if nearly of the same age; offspring; progeny; as, a woman with a brood of children.
The lion roars and gluts his tawny brood.
Wordsworth.
3. That which is bred or produced; breed; species.
Flocks of the airy brood,
(Cranes, geese or long-necked swans).
Chapman.
4. (Mining) Heavy waste in tin and copper ores.
To sit on brood, to ponder. Shak.