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{{Short description|Cleaning tool for floors made up of stiff fibers attached to cylindrical handle}}
{{redirect-several|dab=no|Broom (disambiguation)|Broomstick (disambiguation)|Push broom scanner|Whisk broom scanner}}
[[File:BroomsforSale.jpg|thumb|[[Sorghum]]-made brooms with long handles as well as short [[Handle (grip)|handles]]]]

A '''broom''' (also known as a '''broomstick''') is a [[cleaning tool]] consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of [[brush]] with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a [[dustpan]].

A distinction is made between a "hard broom" and a "soft broom" and a spectrum in between. Soft brooms are used in some cultures chiefly for sweeping walls of cobwebs and [[spiders]], like a "[[feather duster]]", while hard brooms are for rougher tasks like sweeping dirt off sidewalks or concrete floors, or even smoothing and texturing wet [[concrete]]. The majority of brooms are somewhere in between, suitable for sweeping the floors of homes and businesses, soft enough to be flexible and to move even light dust, but stiff enough to achieve a firm sweeping action.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

The broom is also a symbolic object associated with [[witchcraft]] and [[ceremonial magic]].
[[File:Houki-constructionworker-japan-2012.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=3|Video of a [[Japan]]ese construction worker cleaning up his construction site with a Japanese broom]]

== Etymology ==
The word "broom" derives from the name of certain thorny [[broom (shrub)|shrubs]] (''[[Genista]]'' and others) used for sweeping.<ref>{{cite book|title=Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed.|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-0199206872|pages=3804}}</ref> The name of the shrubs began to be used for the household implement in [[Late Middle English]] and gradually replaced the earlier ''[[besom]]'' during the [[Early Modern English]] period. The song ''[[Broom Buzzems|Buy Broom Buzzems]]'' (by [[William Purvis (Blind Willie)|William Purvis]] 1752–1832) still refers to the "broom besom" as one type of [[besom]] (i.e. "a besom made from broom").

Flat brooms, made of [[Sorghum bicolor|broom corn]],<ref>{{cite web | title=How to make a broom | url=http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-To-Make-A-Broom.aspx | publisher=Ogden Publications, Inc. | access-date=2010-03-15 | archive-date=2013-03-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314180901/http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-To-Make-A-Broom.aspx | url-status=live }}</ref> were invented by [[Shakers]] in the 19th century with the invention of the [[Shaker broom vice|broom vice]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Broom |url=http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/broom |access-date=2008-11-05 |archive-date=2009-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202063621/http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/broom |url-status=live }}</ref>
A smaller whisk broom or brush is sometimes called a duster.

== Manufacture ==
{{See also|Shaker broom vise}}
[[File:Besenbinder.JPG|thumb|upright|Making brooms, 2012]]
In 1797, the quality of brooms changed when Levi Dickenson, a farmer in [[Hadley, Massachusetts]], made a broom for his wife, using the tassels of [[sorghum]], a grain he was growing for the seeds. His wife spread good words around town, creating demand for Dickenson's sorghum brooms. The sorghum brooms held up well, but ultimately, like all brooms, fell apart. Dickenson subsequently invented a machine that would make better brooms, and faster than he could. In 1810, the foot treadle broom machine was invented. This machine played an integral part in the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = History of Early American Brooms and Broom Making - BroomShop.com|url = http://broomshop.com/history/|website = broomshop.com|access-date = 2015-09-29|archive-date = 2015-09-18|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150918074503/http://broomshop.com/history/|url-status = live}}</ref>

=== United States ===
One source mentions that the United States had 303 broom factories by 1839 and that the number peaked at 1,039 in 1919. Most of these were in the [[Eastern United States]]; during the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s, the number of factories declined to 320 in 1939.<ref name="EOHC-Broom">{{cite web|last=Fugate|first=Tally D.|title=Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture|work=Broom Factories|access-date=August 13, 2012|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BR024.html|archive-date=November 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119131923/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BR024.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state of [[Oklahoma]] became a major center for broom production because broom corn grew especially well there, with The Oklahoma Broom Corn Company opening a factory in [[El Reno, Oklahoma|El Reno]] in 1906. Faced with competition from imported brooms and synthetic bristles, most of the factories closed by the 1960s.<ref name="EOHC-Broom" />

== Magic ==
[[File:Goya - Caprichos (68).jpg|thumb|left|[[Francisco Goya]]'s ''[[Los Caprichos]]'': ''¡Linda maestra!'' ("The Follies: Beautiful Teacher!") – witches heading to a [[Witches' Sabbath|Sabbath]] on a broomstick]]

In the context of [[witchcraft]], ''broomstick'' is likely to refer to the broom as a whole, known as a ''[[besom]]''. The first known reference to [[witch]]es flying on broomsticks dates to the 11th-century Islamic traditionalist theologian [[Ibn Qudamah]]in his book al-Mughnī ( The Persuader ). The first reference to [[witch]]es flying on broomsticks in Europe dates to 1453, confessed by the male witch [[Guillaume Edelin]].<ref>''[[Man, Myth & Magic (encyclopedia)|Man, Myth and Magic]]: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural''. 1970, edited by Richard Cavendish.</ref> The concept of a [[flying ointment]] used by witches appears at about the same time, recorded in 1456.

In [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]'s 1939 film, ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', the [[Wicked Witch of the West]] used a broomstick to fly over [[Land of Oz|Oz]]. She also used it to skywrite "[[Surrender Dorothy]]" above the [[Emerald City]]. [[Wizard of Oz (character)|The Wizard]] commands [[Dorothy Gale|Dorothy]] and her three traveling companions to bring the Wicked Witch's broomstick to him in order to grant their wishes. Dorothy carries it to the Wizard with the [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]], [[Tin Woodman|Tin Man]], and [[Cowardly Lion|Lion]] after the Wicked Witch's death.

In [[Disney]]'s 1940 film ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'', [[Mickey Mouse]], playing [[The Sorcerer's Apprentice]], brings a broom to life to do his chore of filling a well full of water. The broom overdoes its job and when chopped into pieces, each splinter becomes a new broom that flood the room until [[Yen Sid]] stops them. This story comes from a poem by [[Goethe]] called ''Der Zauberlehrling'' ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice"). The Disney brooms have had recurring cameos in Disney media, mostly portrayed as janitors, albeit not out of control or causing chaos such as in the original appearance.

This flight was also in ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' as well as ''[[Hocus Pocus (1993 film)|Hocus Pocus]]''.

In [[Eswatini|Eswatini (Swaziland)]], witches' broomsticks are short bundles of sticks tied together without a handle.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Spooner|first1=Samantha|title=From hippie bans to broomstick flying limits, here are Africa's most absurd laws|url=http://mgafrica.com/article/2014-10-14-from-sex-toy-bans-to-broomstick-flying-limits-presenting-africas-absurd-laws|work=[[Mail & Guardian|Mail & Guardian Africa]]|date=15 October 2014|access-date=29 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029223232/http://mgafrica.com/article/2014-10-14-from-sex-toy-bans-to-broomstick-flying-limits-presenting-africas-absurd-laws|archive-date=29 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Flying brooms play an important role in the fantasy world of [[Harry Potter]], used for transportation as well as for playing the popular airborne game of [[Quidditch]]. Flying brooms, along with [[Flying carpets]], are the main means of transportation in the world of [[Poul Anderson]]'s
[[Operation Chaos (novel)|Operation Chaos]].

The [[Flying Broom]] ({{lang-tr|Uçan Süpürge}}) is a [[feminism|feminist]] organization in [[Turkey]], deliberately evoking the associations of a Flying Broom with witches.

== In wider culture ==

* The [[Métis people]] of Canada have a broom dancing tradition. There are broom dancing exhibitions where people show off their broom dancing skills. The lively broom dance involves fast footwork and jumping.<ref>from [http://www.metismuseum.ca The Virtual Museum of Metis History and Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528112406/http://www.metismuseum.ca/ |date=2020-05-28 }} Broom Dance, Metisfest 2001. Retrieved on May 18, 2007.</ref>
* "[[Jumping the broom]]" is an [[African-American]] wedding tradition that originated in marriages of [[slavery in the United States|slaves in the United States]] in the 19th century. Its revived popularity among African Americans is due to the 1976 novel ''[[Roots: The Saga of an American Family]]''.<ref>Dundes, A. (1996) "Jumping the Broom": On the origin and meaning of an African American Wedding Custom. ''The Journal of American Folklore''. 109 (433) p. 324–329. {{JSTOR|541535}}</ref> "Jumping the broom" was a marriage tradition in pre-Christian Britain and possibly through wider areas of Europe, such as Scandinavia and the Baltic Germanic tribes.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} Broom grows widely throughout Europe and Africa.
* During [[World War II]], American submarine crews would tie a broom to their boat's [[conning tower]] when returning to port to indicate that they had "swept" the seas clean of enemy shipping.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://victortradingco.com/broom-lore/|title=Broom Lore|website=Victoria Trading Company|access-date=2021-08-28|archive-date=2021-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828223911/https://victortradingco.com/broom-lore/|url-status=live}}</ref> The tradition has been devalued in recent years by submarine crews who fly a broom simply when returning from their boat's shake-down cruise. This tradition may stem from the action of the Dutch admiral [[Maarten Tromp]] who tied a broom to his main mast after defeating the British admiral [[Robert Blake (admiral)|Robert Blake]] at the [[Battle of Dungeness]] in 1652. This has often been interpreted as a message that he would "sweep the British from the seas". This story remains unsubstantiated,<ref>The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 1988, edited by Peter Kemp</ref> but may have its origin in the tradition of hoisting a broom as a sign that a ship was for sale,<ref>"Local Events." Evening Telegram (St. John's, N.L.), 1891-10-14:4.</ref> which seems more likely as Tromp had captured two of Blake's ships in the battle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_dungeness.html|title=Battle of Dungeness, 30 November 1652|access-date=20 April 2012|archive-date=17 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317160554/http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_dungeness.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], it is called ''Baṛhanī'' (prosperer), as it is believed that it's prospers the family and house.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grierson |first=G.A. |title=Bihar Peasant Life |year=1885 |location=London |pages=11}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
* In 1701 [[Jonathan Swift]] wrote a "[[Meditation Upon a Broomstick]]", a parody of [[Robert Boyle]]'s ''Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects'':
{{quote|But a Broom-Stick, perhaps you will say, is an Emblem of a Tree standing on its Head; and pray what is Man, but a Topsy-turvey Creature, his Animal Faculties perpetually mounted on his Rational; His Head where his Heels should be, groveling on the Earth, and yet with all his Faults, he sets up to be an universal Reformer and Corrector of Abuses, a Remover of Grievances, rakes into every Sluts Corner of Nature, bringing hidden Corruptions to the Light, and raises a mighty Dust where there was none before, sharing deeply all the while, in the very same Pollutions he pretends to sweep away: His last Days are spent in Slavery to Women, and generally the least deserving; till worn to the Stumps, like his Brother Bezom, he is either kickt out of Doors, or made use of to kindle Flames, for others to warm themselves by.<ref>[https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/a-meditation-upon-a-broomstick-1711/ A Meditation upon a Broomstick (1711)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009113751/https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/a-meditation-upon-a-broomstick-1711/ |date=2016-10-09 }} [[Public Domain Review]]</ref>}}
*In [[J.K. Rowling]]'s ''[[Harry Potter]]'' novels and [[Harry Potter (film series)|film adaptations]], broomsticks are a common form of transport for wizards and witches. These are also used for the magical sport of [[Quidditch]], in which players use their broomsticks to fly around a field and shoot goals.

===Politics===
[[File:General Buhari holding a broom at a campign rally.jpg|thumb|Nigerian opposition politicians holding brooms at a campaign rally]]
It is used as a symbol of the following political parties:
* [[Aam Aadmi Party]], India
* [[All Progressives Congress]], Nigeria

=== Religion ===
* In [[Jainism]], monks and nuns have a little broom with them, in order to gently brush aside ants and small animals, to avoid crushing them. This is part of observing the principle of ''[[Ahimsa in Jainism|Ahinsā]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Jainism/index.aspx|title=Jainism|access-date=2011-03-30|archive-date=2011-03-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110331095121/http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Jainism/index.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Shakers]] are often credited with the invention of the flat broom.

=== Sports ===
* [[Curling broom]]
* In [[baseball]] and [[basketball]], when the [[home team]] is close to accomplishing a sweep (having won the first two games of a three-game series or first three games of a four-game series), some fans will bring brooms to the ballpark and brandish them as a way of taunting the visiting team (examples: Arkansas vs. LSU, 2011; Red Sox vs. Yankees, May 13–15, 2011 and June 7–9, 2011).
* In [[broomball]], broomsticks have their heads removed and are used to push a ball into a goal, on an ice surface. The game is similar to hockey, except players do not wear skates.

== Image gallery ==
<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:"Arya" sapu biasa.jpg|Common soft broom in Indonesia
File:Holding Shield and Holding Broom tomb doors, 2 of 2, China, unearthed from Lanjia Yard, Pixian County, Sichuan, Eastern Han dynasty, 25-220 AD, stone - Sichuan Provincial Museum - Chengdu, China - DSC04747.jpg|Carved [[relief]]s on stone tomb doors showing a man dressed in ''[[Hanfu]]'' and holding a broom, Chinese [[Eastern Han Dynasty]] (25–220 AD), from Lanjia Yard, [[Pi County]], [[Sichuan province]], [[Sichuan Provincial Museum]] of [[Chengdu]], [[China]]
File:Broom in China 01.jpg|A soft broom commonly used in [[Hainan Province]], China
File:Banaue Philippines Handmade-brooms-01.jpg|Typical Filipino soft brooms (walis-tambo), [[Banaue, Ifugao|Banaue]], [[Ifugao province|Ifugao]], [[Philippines]]
File:Aerial view of broom stall.jpg|A hard-broom (walis-tingting) stall in the Philippines. Philippine hard brooms are often made from the hard primary veins of the leaves of the coconut palm frond.
File:Broom from a home in Haiti.jpg|A typical broom at a home in Haiti
File:Broom (PSF).jpg|A broom with bristles traditionally made using [[Sorghum bicolor|broom corn]]
File:A broom made of twigs from Rwanda.jpg|A broom at a Rwandan home, made out of twigs
File:Simple turkey tail brooms.png|alt=Turkey tail brooms|Two 'turkey tail' style brooms made from broom corn
File:Shinchunagon Taira no Tomomori Sweeping the Deck LACMA M.84.31.97.jpg|Japanese warrior sweeping the deck with a broom before killing himself.
File:Miotła 001q.JPG|Floor broom
File:Sure We Can Earthday clean 2021 2.jpg|[[Clean-up (environment)|Street clean]] volunteer uses a broom, [[Earth Day]] 2021
Choolu.JPG|broom made of the stem of coconut leaf
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Bath broom]]
* [[Besom]]
* [[Mop]]
* [[Squeegee]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}16. "<small>Brooms</small>" (in crypto) are a <small>symbol</small> of good luck around the world. They sweep away bad fortune and protect against evil.

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Brooms}}

{{Cleaning tools|state=expanded}}
{{Witchcraft}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Cleaning tools]]
[[Category:Domestic implements]]
[[Category:Magic items]]

Broom - Revision history

Vilianarij: fixed issues

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article