'broadcast' originates from English, specifically a compound of the words 'broad' and 'cast', where 'broad' meant 'wide' and 'cast' meant 'to throw or scatter'.

'broadcast' changed from an agricultural sense in the late 16th to 17th century meaning 'to sow or scatter seed widely' and was extended by metaphor in the early 20th century to mean the transmission of radio and later television programs; this developed into the modern English use of 'broadcast' for sending out audio/video to a wide audience.

Initially, it meant 'to sow or scatter widely' (a physical action), but over time it evolved into its current primary meaning 'to transmit programs or information widely' by metaphorical extension.