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Brace

//bɹeɪs// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from Old French.
Noun
  1. 1
    Armor for the arm; vambrace. obsolete
  2. 2
    a structural member used to stiffen a framework wordnet
  3. 3
    A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms. obsolete
  4. 4
    a carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring wordnet
  5. 5
    A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.

    "a brace and bit"

Show 21 more definitions
  1. 6
    an appliance that corrects dental irregularities wordnet
  2. 7
    That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
  3. 8
    a support that steadies or strengthens something else wordnet
  4. 9
    A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
  5. 10
    elastic straps that hold trousers up wordnet
  6. 11
    A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.

    "The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that."

  7. 12
    a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it wordnet
  8. 13
    The state of being braced or tight; tension.

    "And I am of opinion, that the moſt frequent cauſe of Deafneſs is to be attributed to the Laxneſs of the Tympanum, vvhen it has loſt its Brace or Tenſion by ſome irregularity in the Figure of thoſe Bones, or defect in that Muſcle: […]"

  9. 14
    either of two punctuation marks (‘{’ or ‘}’) used to enclose textual material wordnet
  10. 15
    Harness; warlike preparation.

    "’Tis a Pageant / To keepe vs in falſe gaze, when we conſider / Th’importancie of Cyprus to the Turke; / And let our ſelues againe but vnderſtand, / That as it more concerne the Turke then Rhodes, / So may he with more facile queſtion beare it, / For that it ſtands not in ſuch Warrelike brace, / But altogether lackes th’abilities / That Rhodes is dreſs’d in."

  11. 16
    a set of two similar things considered as a unit wordnet
  12. 17
    A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {role, roll}; in music, used to connect staves.
  13. 18
    two items of the same kind wordnet
  14. 19
    A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally (e.g., a brace of conies) and then other things, but rarely human persons. (In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.)

    "But you, my brace of Lords, were I ſo minded / I heere could plucke his Highneſſe frowne vpon you / And iuſtifie you Traitors: […]"

  15. 20
    A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.
  16. 21
    A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
  17. 22
    The mouth of a shaft. British, Cornwall
  18. 23
    Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders. British, in-plural
  19. 24
    A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite. plural, singular
  20. 25
    Two goals scored by one player in a game.

    "Coordinate term: hat trick"

  21. 26
    Two wickets taken with two consecutive deliveries.
Verb
  1. 1
    To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow. intransitive, transitive

    "All hands, brace for impact!"

  2. 2
    cause to be alert and energetic wordnet
  3. 3
    To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.

    "He braced himself against the crowd."

  4. 4
    support by bracing wordnet
  5. 5
    To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more efficient sail surface to the direction of the wind.

    "to brace the yards"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace wordnet
  2. 7
    To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
  3. 8
    prepare (oneself), often but not necessarily for something unpleasant or difficult wordnet
  4. 9
    To confront with questions, demands or requests.

    "Just about then the young kid who had braced us when we came in uttered a curse and made for the door."

  5. 10
    To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.

    "to brace a beam in a building"

  6. 11
    To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.

    "to brace the nerves"

  7. 12
    To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

    "The women of China[…], by bracing and binding them [their feet] from their infancy, have very little feet."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”).

Etymology 3

English surname of Norman origin, from Old French brace (“arm”) and thus related to the noun brace.

See also for "brace"

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