In or to a foreign country; also, spread widely around an area or among many people.
From Old English phrase *on brede* meaning “at large, widely,” from *bredan* “to broaden.” The sense of “in foreign lands” came later.
‘Abroad’ originally meant ‘widely out and about,’ not just ‘in another country.’ That’s why we can still say ‘rumors are abroad’—they’re wandering everywhere, almost like travelers themselves.
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