Gebrochts refers to matzo that has absorbed what?

Gebrochts refers to matzo that has absorbed liquid.

The Yiddish term is also called matzah shruyah in Hebrew, meaning “soaked matzo.” It commonly describes matzo or matzo meal used in foods such as matzo-ball soup, matzo brei, or other dishes in which the baked matzo comes into contact with water, broth, milk, or another liquid.

Avoiding gebrochts is a Passover practice associated especially with Hasidic and some other Ashkenazi communities. The concern is that a small pocket of incompletely mixed flour might remain inside the matzo. If liquid reaches that flour, it could theoretically become leavened. People who follow the custom therefore avoid wetting matzo, even though ordinary matzo was already baked quickly and is generally considered non-leavened.

The practice is not universal. Talmudic sources and medieval authorities, including Rashi, indicate that soaked matzo was permitted, and many Jewish communities continue to eat matzo products mixed with liquid. Thus, gebrochts is best understood as a stringency or communal custom, not a synonym for chametz and not a general rule followed by all Jews.