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brace

noun
/bɹeɪs/

Etymology

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

  1. derived from bracchia
  2. derived from brace
  3. inherited from brace

Definitions

  1. Armor for the arm

    Armor for the arm; vambrace.

  2. A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.

  3. A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.

    A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.

    • a brace and bit
  4. ›+ 23 more definitions

    1. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly

      That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.

    2. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.

    3. 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.

    4. The state of being braced or tight

      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: […]

    5. Harness

      Harness; warlike preparation.

    6. A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket"

      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.

    7. A pair, a couple

      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: […]
      • A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church; […]
      • He is ſaid, this ſummer to have ſhot with his own hands fifty brace of pheaſants, and one wild pig; to have ſet thirty coveys of partridges; and to have hunted down forty brace of hares; […]

    8. A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure

      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.

    9. A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved…

      A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.

    10. The mouth of a shaft.

    11. Straps or bands to sustain trousers

      Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.

    12. A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce…

      A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.

    13. Two goals scored by one player in a game.

      • Coordinate term: hat trick
      • The Manchester United midfielder’s late brace against Cyprus at the weekend was welcome, but will become no more than a footnote of his Scotland career. His brace here to down the mighty Spanish will go down in history.
      • To score a 'brace' means that you have scored two goals in a game.

    14. Two wickets taken with two consecutive deliveries.

    15. To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow.

      • All hands, brace for impact!
      • Brace yourself!
      • The boy has no idea about everything that's been going on. You need to brace him for what's about to happen.

    16. To place in a position for resisting pressure

      To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.

      • He braced himself against the crowd.
      • A sturdy lance in his right hand he braced.

    17. To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more…

      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

    18. To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.

    19. 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.
      • “Constable Fancy’s collecting evidence from his flat while Morse and me brace Valdemar.”

    20. To furnish with braces

      To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.

      • to brace a beam in a building

    21. To draw tight

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

      • to brace the nerves
      • And welcome war to brace her drums.

    22. To bind or tie closely

      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.
      • some who spurs had first braced on

    23. A surname from Old French.

The neighborhood

Derived

angle brace, armbrace, Boston brace, braceless, cross brace, curly brace, embrace, forebrace, in a brace of shakes, mainbrace, Meole Brace, Milwaukee brace, neck-brace, neck brace, neckbrace, one true brace style, overbrace, thoroughbrace, wheel brace, underbrace, braceable, brace up, counterbrace, rebrace, unbrace, upbrace

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for brace. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA