broom
v.— «The number of wolves in the refuge is increasing, and biologists are beginning to see browse that is “broomed,” a term used to describe willows that have been topped and are mushrooming, Aderman said.» —“Number of twins gives biologists best clue as to how moose in Alaska are doing” by Tim Mowry News-Miner (Fairbanks, Alaska) June 12, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
We use the term Milky Way for that glowing arc across the sky. But how people picture it varies from culture to culture. In Sweden, that starry band goes by a name that means “Winter Street,” and in Hawaii, a term for the Milky Way...
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
This is odd, because the word “pollarded” exists to describe willows that have been topped, thus producing a lot of new, thin, straight shoots, known as osiers or withies. Osiers are mostly used for basket making. A traditional broom, or besom, is usually made of birch twigs, not willow, though osier is often used to bind the twigs to the handle. Maybe the author misremembered something.