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单词 brace
释义

† bracen.1

Forms: Middle English braas, brace, 1500s brache, brase.
Etymology: < French bras < Latin brāc(c)hium, lit. an arm.
Obsolete.
An arm; esp. an ‘arm’ of the sea or other large body of water. Brace of St. George = medieval Latin brachium Sancti Georgii (Du Cange): the Bosporus or the Hellespont.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > arm or branch
branch1297
arma1398
bracec1400
ramification1653
divarication1664
the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bend in coast > [noun] > inlet in river or sea > in sea
fleetc893
pillOE
arm of the seaOE
sounda1300
lougha1387
bracec1400
lough1423
firthc1425
loch1427
resort1477
estuarya1552
inshot1555
mere1574
portlet1577
fret1587
frith1600
sea-gate1605
creek1625
sea-lochc1645
wick1664
fjord1674
voea1688
backwater1867
strait gulf1867
ocean-arm1871
ria1887
fjard1904
geo1934
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. xi. 126 He schal..passe the wature, that ys cleped the Brace of seynt George.
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 139 Guided his boot ouer the braas or arme of the see.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Myrrour of Worlde ii. iii. 67 That renneth a longe thurgh the Royame of ynde, And departeth in to many armes or braces.
1511 Pylgrymage Richarde Guylforde (Pynson) f. xlviijv Ye sayd streightes otherwyse called the brache of seynt George.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) lxiii. sig. Hvi The stroke..cut asonder a great brase of a benche that stode before the bedde.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

bracen.2

Brit. /breɪs/, U.S. /breɪs/
Forms: Also Middle English–1600s brase1500s–1600s brache, 1500s bresse, 1600s brasse, 1800s (dialect) braas.
Etymology: Originally < Old French brace, brache, brase (feminine singular) the two arms, especially the width of the two arms < Latin brāc(c)hia , plural of brac(c)hium the arm. But senses 7 onwards appear to be chiefly taken from or influenced by certain senses of brace v.1, and might perhaps be better treated as a separate word.
I. Uses of the general sense ‘pair of arms’.
†1.
a. The portion of a suit of armour covering the arms. (At first ‘a pair of brace’, but afterwards applied to the covering of one arm.) Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > armour for limbs > [noun] > arm armour
bracer?a1400
bracec1400
sleeve1465
plate-sleeve1578
bracelet1580
monion1652
brachal1658
arm piece1659
armlet1706
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 582 Wel bornyst brace vpon his boþe armes.
1430 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy iii. xxii Some..ne wolde fayle To haue of mayle a payre brase.
1483 Cath. Angl. 39 A brace, defensorium, brachiale.
a1605 A. Montgomerie Poems (1821) 7 On his left arm, ane brace.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Bracats, Brasses, or Vambrasses; armor for the armes.
†b. ? A coat of armour. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > body armour > [noun] > coat of mail or corselet
ring netOE
burnec1050
briniec1175
hauberk1297
coatc1300
bryn1330
habergeon1377
jackc1380
doublet of defence (or fence)1418
petticoatc1425
gesteron1469
byrnie1488
coat of fence1490
corset1490
corse1507
sark of mail1515
plate-coat1521
shirt of mail1522
mail-coat1535
corslet1563
costlet1578
pewter coat1584
cataphract1591
pyne doublet1600
sponge1600
coat-armour1603
brace1609
coat of arms1613
frock of mail1671
mail-shirt1816
mail-sark1838
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles v. 170 It hath been a Shield Twixt me and death, and [he] poynted to this brayse.
†c. A state of defence or of preparation for war.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defence > [noun] > attitude or state of defence
defensive?1585
bracea1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1623) i. iii. 25 Cyprus..stands not in such Warrelike brace.
†2. A measure of length, originally representing the length of the extended arms; cf. fathom n. (The French brasse was 1·62 metres (Littré) = about 64 inches.) Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > arm as unit of length > outstretched arms or fathom
fathoma800
teisec1330
brace1599
stade1604
1599 in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. i. 211 They haue built a tombe..a brace and an halfe high.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage viii. xiv. 815 This fiery concauity..goes down two hundred and fifty braces or yards.
1710 W. Mather Young Man's Compan. (1727) 399 Giving diversity of Names to their Measures; as the Yard, Ell, Goad, Aulne, Brace.
†3. An embrace; figurative in quot. 1589. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > embrace > [noun]
beclipping1340
complexion1493
clipa1586
brace1589
twine1602
fold1609
grasp1609
claspa1616
abrazoa1626
colla1627
cling1633
hug1659
folding1713
squeeze1790
cuddle1825
bear squeeze1845
bear hug1870
clinch1901
bosie1952
side hug1984
cwtch1992
bro hug2000
1589 ‘Pasquill of England’ Returne of Pasquill 4 Hee fell into the brace of Rome again.
†4. An arch of a bridge. Cf. span n.1 of arch. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > arch > [noun] > vaulting > other parts
brace1483
1483 Cath. Angl. 39 A Brace of a bryge, or of a vawte; sinus, arcus.
5. Scottish. A mantel-shelf. Cf. brace-piece in VI; also window-brace ‘the part of a window on which the sash rests’ (Jamieson).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > stand > [noun] > shelf > specific type
manteltree1572
bookshelf1648
chimney-mantle1663
chimney-piece1680
mantel1742
mantelpiece1767
brace1806
mantelshelf1828
mantel-place1842
mantelboard?1881
sub-shelf1889
rick1901
fireboard1907
brace-piece-
bracket-shelf-
1806 J. Train Poet. Reveries 101 A dreadfu' knell came on the brace.
6. A carpenter's tool, having a crank handle, and a socket or pad to hold a ‘bit’ for boring.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > piercing or boring tools > [noun] > drill > brace
wimble?1362
brace1567
bit-brace1881
wheel brace1920
brace-drill-
1567 in J. Raine Wills & Inventories N. Counties Eng. (1835) I. 268 V wombles, iij percers bittes and a brace xxd.
1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. xvi. 116 Braces for Carpenters, with 12 bits.
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 128 The joiner when boring with a brace and bit.
II. That which clasps, tightens, secures, connects. Cf. brace v.1 3.
7.
a. A clasp, buckle, clamp, or other connecting piece or fastener.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun]
tacka1400
bracec1440
tachec1500
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 46 Brace of a balke, uncus, loramentum.
1571 in J. Raine Wills & Inventories N. Counties Eng. (1835) I. 362 Onm iije claspes for collers..iij boxes of bresses ijs vj.
1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Agraphe, a buckle of a gyrdle, a claspe, a brace.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 225 Some thicke collor or brace, so as hee [sc. the fox] can neuer bite it asunder.
1640 tr. J. A. Comenius Janua Linguarum Reserata (new ed.) xlix. §545 The braces bind downe and hold fast the dormans to the studs.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Odyssey in Iliad & Odyssey II. i. 561 Fasten'd it with bolt and brace secure.
1866 G. Stephens Old-Northern Runic Monuments I. i. 295 This Bronze Brace..has belonged to a Sword-sheath of wood.
b. Dentistry. A wire device for straightening the teeth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > dentistry > [noun] > device for straightening teeth
brace1952
1952 News Chron. 8 July If she wears corrective glasses or braces on her teeth, pretty hair makes her less conscious of her handicaps.
1952 M. McCarthy Groves of Academe (1953) iv. 56 They had been routed to the dentist for braces.
†8. The fibula of the leg. A transl. of Latin fibula lit. ‘brooch’ or ‘buckle’. Cf. brace-bone n. at Compounds 2 in VI.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > bones of arm or leg > bones of leg > [noun] > bones of lower leg > fibula
brace-bone1634
perone1638
brace1656
speel-bone1698
fibula1706
splint-bone1859
fib-
1656 tr. J. A. Comenius Latinæ Linguæ Janua Reserata: Gate Lat. Tongue Unlocked xxii. §223 The Fibula, or Brace, or lesser Focile.
9. A strap bearing a buckle, or otherwise adapted to be drawn tight and fastened:
a. for tightening the joints of armour. (Perhaps only a modern inference from brace v.1)
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > [noun] > suit of armour > straps
shoulder-strap1830
vitta1847
brace1858
1858 C. M. Yonge Cameos xlvii, in Monthly Packet Oct. 342 His own thrifty hands mended the brace.
b. One of a pair of straps of leather or webbing used to support the trousers; a suspender. (In quot. 1816 with pun on brace n.3; cf. bracer n.1 1.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > suspenders or braces for > brace
gallows1730
brace1798
1798 J. Austen Let. 27 Oct. (1995) 16 There were no narrow Braces for Children, & scarcely any netting silk.
1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. x. 261 When dressing in violent haste—your braces becoming suddenly..entangled.
1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master i. 20 It broke, and.. Carried away both stays and braces.
1824 W. Carr Horæ Momenta Cravenæ 17 They gee 'em two names, a braas an a gallows.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) iii. 16 I have embroidered for you a very beautiful pair of braces.
c. A strap serving as a handle (figurative in quot. 1592).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > parts of tools generally > [noun] > handle > of other shapes
handstaff1440
brace1592
potent1688
crutch1831
grip-lug1891
baluster handle1956
pistol grip1972
1592 L. Andrewes Serm. (1843) V. 504 Our faith is the braces or handle whereby we take hold.
10.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
a. A leathern thong which slides up and down the cord of a drum, and is used to regulate the tension of the skins, and thus the pitch of the note. (cf. brace v.1 4.)
†b. Also the cord itself (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > drum > [noun] > cord
brace1596
1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. D3 Go..hang him in the braces of his drum. View more context for this quotation
1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. iv. iii. 127 The little Bones and Muscles of the Ear-drum do the same Office in straining and relaxing it, as the Braces of the War-drum do in that.
1880 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 466/1 This cord is tightened by means of leather braces.
1880 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 466/2 The heads are tightened by cords and braces.
c. transferred. Tension.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > hardness > types of hardness > [noun] > tautness > degree of or tension
brace1669
tension1685
writhe1879
1669 W. Holder Elem. Speech 113 The Laxness of the Tympanum, when it has lost its brace or tension.
11. brace of a coach: one of the stout leathern straps by which the body of a carriage is suspended from the springs.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > parts of cart or carriage > [noun] > braces supporting body
main-brace1680
brace of a coach1745
thoroughbrace1801
1745 J. Gay Trivia ii, in Poems I. 174 See yon bright chariot on its braces swing.
1794 W. Felton Treat. Carriages I. 234 The bodies of carriages are suspended from the springs by braces.
12. Nautical. (See quot. 1850.)
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > steering equipment > [noun] > rudder > pin or socket
pintle1486
gudgeon1589
brace1850
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 100 Braces, straps of iron, copper, or mixed metal, secured with bolts and screws to the stern-post and bottom planks. In their after ends are holes to receive the pintles by which the rudder is hung.
1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding xiii. 247 The rudder was hung to three braces, riveted to the hollow-plate stern-post.
13. A slender bandage or cord fastened round a decoy-bird's body. Cf. brace-bird n. at Compounds 2 in VI.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowling equipment > [noun] > decoy bird > line
brace1768
playline1878
1768 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) II. 332 These birds [sc. the decoys] are secured..by what is called a brace.
14. A sign } used in writing or printing, chiefly for the purpose of uniting together two or more lines, words, staves of music, etc. Sometimes, but less correctly, used in plural to denote square brackets [ ].
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > written character > punctuation > [noun] > brackets
parenthesis1582
squadron1618
parathesis1633
brace1656
hooks1680
bracket1750
circumflex1801
round bracket1847
curve1851
angle bracket1890
square bracket1891
paren1905
angled bracket1954
semi-quadratures-
1656 T. Blount Glossographia (at cited word) With Printers a Brace is that which couples two or more words together.
1795 L. Murray Eng. Gram. 173 A Brace } is used in poetry, at the end of a triplet.
1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. i. 3 When a Staff is wanted for each hand they are joined together by a Brace.
1841 J. R. Young Math Diss. iii. 129 The first term within the braces.
1880 J. Muirhead Inst. of Gaius & Rules of Ulpian Introd. p. xii I have had recourse to..braces [ ] and marks of parenthesis.
III. Senses relating to a pair or couple of things.
15. Two things taken together; a pair, a couple. Often a mere synonym for two, as, in cricketing language ‘A hit B for a brace’; see 1c.In this sense the plural is also brace, as in two or three brace, several brace.
a. originally of dogs. (Perhaps the band or cord with which dogs were coupled in coursing was called a brace; cf. sense 13 and leash n.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > two > pair > [noun]
pairc1300
couple1365
paira1382
gemels1382
pair1391
yokea1425
brace1430
binarya1464
match1542
twin1569
binity?1578
twoa1585
couplement1596
Gemini1602
couplet1604
twain1607
duad1660
dyad1675
duet1749
tway?a1800
doublet1816
two-group1901
two-grouping1901
coupling1961
1430 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. vi This ylke lease of thre..All sodeynly was tourned to a brase.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 46 Brace of howndys.
1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. G2 Sir Vau. I indited a brace or two more... Asi...he makes hounds of vs..a brace quoth a?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) ii. v. 129 Edward and Richard like a brace of Grey-hounds..Are at our backes. View more context for this quotation
1816 W. Scott Black Dwarf ii, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. I. 44 He summoned to his side the brace of large greyhounds.
b. of other animals, esp. certain kinds of game.
ΚΠ
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Aiiv/2 A Brace of Deere, duo damæ.
a1642 W. Bedell in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus (1651) 69 Hammond and Vrswick sent him a brase of Geldings.
1715 London Gaz. No. 5371/4 A brace of Trouts.
1736 Compl. Family-piece ii. i. 240 A Brace or Leash of live Partridges.
1851 C. Kingsley Bad Squire 28 A few more brace of game.
1867 F. Francis Bk. Angling v. 150 I rose and hooked six brace of capital fish.
c. of things. (More correctly when united or paired, as in a brace of pistols.) a brace of shakes: see shake n.1 2h. Hence in Cricket: a brace (of ducks), a score of nought in both innings of a match; to bag a brace, to score nought in both innings.
ΚΠ
1583 P. Stubbes Anat. Abuses sig. Fviv Their Parents owe a brase of hunndred pounds more than they are worth.
1630 M. Godwin tr. F. Godwin Ann. Eng. ii. 232 Robert Ket..had gathered a fortune of a brace of thousands.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. vii. 167 Borrowing of thy neighbour a brace of chambers for a night.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 200 The two Muskets I loaded with a Brace of Slugs each.
1725 London Gaz. No. 6372/3 Shot through the Left Arm with a Brace of Bullets.
1755 C. Charke Narr. Life 45 A heavy Blunderbuss, a Muscatoon, and two Brace of Pistols.
1832 H. Martineau Ireland v. 85 Three brace of pistols.
1867 John Lillywhite's Cricketers' Compan. (ed. 23) 57 Tom Humphrey achieved the feat of ‘bagging a brace’.
1891 W. G. Grace Cricket xi. 329 In 1868, he got me out for a brace of ‘ducks’ at Neath.
1903 P. F. Warner in H. G. Hutchinson Cricket xiv. 398 More than one well-known cricketer has ‘bagged a brace’ there.
1912 A. A. Lilley Twenty-four Years Cricket v. 65 Noble and Gregory..were thus dismissed for a ‘brace’.
1929 Chicago Sunday Trib. 25 Aug. i. 3/7 They found Edward Barnett..and his brother..sleeping with a brace of automatics under their pillows.
d. of persons. (Chiefly with a touch of humour or contempt.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > two > pair > [noun] > of people
twosomec1480
brace1606
couple1759
duumvirate1771
Arcades ambo1821
duo1887
1606 W. Warner Continuance Albions Eng. xiv. xci. 370 Clargie-men Pluralitie that huddle, haue also their brace of wiues.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ii. 83 A brace of Brethren, both Bishops.
1768 O. Goldsmith Good Natur'd Man iii. 40 I'll undertake to set down a brace of Dukes.
1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess v. 117 A lusty brace Of twins may weed her of her folly.
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xix. 483 Thorough specimens of a brace of vulgar demagogues.
IV. That which imparts rigidity or steadiness; cf. brace v.1 6.
16. A strip or band of metal used for support, e.g. in mounting bells.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > supporting strip of wood or metal
strop1573
strap1620
batten1663
brace1730
fillet1781
hollow-
1730 Churchwardens' Accts. Holy Cross, Canterb. Casting All ye braces for ye bells.
1880 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 219/2 Bells..are first carefully secured by iron bolts and braces.
1885 Manch. Examiner 21 July 6/5 The pieces of copper were furnished..with iron braces, intended to give them rigidity.
17.
a. Building and Mechanics. A timber or scantling used in a roof or other trussed framework to stiffen the assemblage of pieces composing it; a piece of timber or iron used to strengthen the framework of a vessel, bridge, pier, etc.; a stay used to steady a printing press.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > specific parts built or constructed > [noun] > beams or supports
sillc897
sole-tree1527
spur1529
brace1530
rance1574
strut1587
ground pin1632
ground-plate1663
strut-beam1668
wale-piece1739
strutting-beam1753
wale1754
stretcher1774
tie1793
tie-beam1823
strutting1833
lattice frame1838
tie-bolt1838
tie rod1839
brace-rod1844
web1845
box girder1849
plate girder1849
lattice beam1850
lattice girder1852
girder1853
twister1875
under-girder1875
truss-beam1877
raker1880
wind-bracing1890
portal strut1894
stirrup1909
knee-brace1912
tee-beam1930
tee section1963
binder-
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 200/2 Brace of an house, brace.
1616 J. Bullokar Eng. Expositor Braces, In building it signifieth the peeces of timber which bend forward on both sides and beare up the rafters.
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. viii. 145 The Quarters and Braces between the principal Posts and Posts are fitted in.
1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 155 To keep the timbers from descending, two braces are introduced.
1838 F. W. Simms Public Wks. Great Brit. ii. 25 Diagonal braces of cast iron.
1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 395/2 A method of counteracting the arching of a ship by braces of iron.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 127 Braces are plates of iron..used to bind efficiently a weakness in a vessel.
b. In the theatre, a rod or length of timber used to brace a flat.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > scenery > pieces of > fixing for
trash-nail1556
brace1866
French brace1937
1866 W. Davidge Footlight Flashes xv. 151 They are called braces, and are used for sustaining the weight of cottages, trees, and set pieces of all kinds.
1941 N. Coward Austral. Visited vii. 46 The actors stumble around..making believe that a few chairs, braces, and empty sugar-boxes are the palace of a King.
V. Technical uses of obscure origin.
18. in Mining.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > mouth or top of mine or shaft
adit1602
bank head1645
mouth1702
bank1708
sough1747
pithead1839
brace1881
mouthing1883
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 111 Brace, the mouth of a shaft.
19. Agriculture.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > other parts of plough
plough-line1384
plough-strake1395
cleat1419
weigh-tree1578
spindle1616
pole wedge1733
table1763
throat1771
brace1808
wang1808
wing-bar1844
sill1877
1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon v. 119 Near the point of the share, a comb or brace rises, and..is inserted about midway in the perpendicular bar.

Compounds

C1. General attributive.
brace-button n.
braces-maker n.
ΚΠ
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 195 A retired glove and braces-maker.
C2.
brace-bird n. a decoy-bird secured by a brace (see 13).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowling equipment > [noun] > decoy bird
stalec1440
stall?a1500
chanterelle1601
staling1601
gig1621
fetcha1640
call bird1686
caller1725
stool1825
playbird1878
brace-bird1885
jacky-bird1897
1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 10 Oct. 4/2 The brace bird is generally a goldfinch.
† brace-bone n. Obsolete the fibula.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > bones of arm or leg > bones of leg > [noun] > bones of lower leg > fibula
brace-bone1634
perone1638
brace1656
speel-bone1698
fibula1706
splint-bone1859
fib-
1634 T. Johnson tr. A. Paré Chirurg. Wks. xv. ii. 562 The brace-bone serves for the sustaining of the muscles, and not of the bodie, as the legge bone doth.
Thesaurus »
brace-drill n. a boring tool shaped like a brace.
brace-head n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > piercing or boring tools > [noun] > boring tool > for boring in the ground > parts or attachments
topit1839
brake1849
tiger1864
bore-log1870
brace-head1875
stretcher-bar1883
sabot1884
1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) I. 439 The brace-head, or cross-head, with the four handles held by the borers.
brace-key n. an attachment at the top of a column of boring-rods, by means of which these are turned.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
brace-piece n. Scottish a mantel-piece.
brace-rod n. a connecting rod used to support or give rigidity to any part of a structure.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > specific parts built or constructed > [noun] > beams or supports
sillc897
sole-tree1527
spur1529
brace1530
rance1574
strut1587
ground pin1632
ground-plate1663
strut-beam1668
wale-piece1739
strutting-beam1753
wale1754
stretcher1774
tie1793
tie-beam1823
strutting1833
lattice frame1838
tie-bolt1838
tie rod1839
brace-rod1844
web1845
box girder1849
plate girder1849
lattice beam1850
lattice girder1852
girder1853
twister1875
under-girder1875
truss-beam1877
raker1880
wind-bracing1890
portal strut1894
stirrup1909
knee-brace1912
tee-beam1930
tee section1963
binder-
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm I. 428 In this plough..there is usually applied a brace-rod V.
1907 Westm. Gaz. 27 Dec. 4/2 On a special collar of the enclosed propeller-shaft are two brace-rods, extending triangular fashion to the sleeves of the live axle.
brace-shot n. U.S. = bracket n. 5b.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > [noun] > an artillery shot > patterns of shot or ranging shot
pattern1859
bracket1899
brace-shot1914
straddle1915
ladder1922
1914 R. H. Davis With Allies (1915) 134 To find the range the artillery sends what in the American army are called brace shots.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

bracen.3

Brit. /breɪs/, U.S. /breɪs/
Forms: Also 1600s brase.
Etymology: < French bras (de vergue ) of same meaning (lit. ‘arm’); assimilated to brace n.2 It is less probable that French bras in this sense is an adaptation of the English word, which would then be a special application of brace n.2 II.
Nautical.
A rope attached to the yard of a vessel for the purpose of ‘trimming’ the sail.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > rigging > [noun] > running rigging > sheet or brace
sheet1336
swing-rope1336
shoot1405
mainbrace1485
mainsheet1485
top-sheet1485
smite1494
tailing-rope1495
tail-rope1495
brace1626
stern-sheets1626
trimmers1630
fore-sheet1669
jib-sheet1825
boom-sheet1836
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 28 Ease your mayne brases.
1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 21 (note) The lee-brace confines the yard, so that the tack cannot come down till the braces are cast off.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast v. 10 We were obliged to steady the booms and yards by guys and braces.

Compounds

attributive, as in brace-block, brace-man, brace-pendant.
ΚΠ
c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 49 Brace men attend their braces.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 127 Brace pendants are lengths of rope, or..chain, into which the yard-arm brace-blocks are spliced.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

braceadj.

Etymology: ? attributive use of brace n.2
U.S. slang.
1. brace game n. a game in which there is concerted cheating.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other types of game > [noun] > cheating or impossible to win
skin game1863
brace game1875
1875 Chicago Tribune 25 Aug. 8/1 The brace game flourishes..to cheat the gambling fraternity.
1902 H. L. Wilson Spenders vii. 73 ‘Billy,’ says he, ‘cash in and come out; that's a brace game.’
1908 S. E. White Riverman vi. 58 ‘I tell you, you can't win!’ cried Newmark disgustedly. ‘It's a brace game pure and simple.’
2. brace box n. Faro a dealing box designed to facilitate cheating.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > games of chance played with cards > [noun] > faro > dealing-box
brace box1908
1908 G. H. Lorimer Jack Spurlock vi. 116 Life's not even a gamble in this age of commercialism, fo' Fo'tune deals from a brace box.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1933; most recently modified version published online September 2018).

bracev.1

Brit. /breɪs/, U.S. /breɪs/
Forms: Also Middle English–1600s bras(e, 1500s brais(s, 1600s breace.
Etymology: < Old French bracie-r to embrace, < brace the two arms; but some of the senses are taken directly from those of brace n.2
†1. transitive. To put the arms round, embrace. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > embrace > [verb (transitive)]
clipc950
freeOE
beclipc1000
windc1175
fang?c1200
yokec1275
umgripea1300
to take in (also into, on) one's armsc1300
umbefold14..
collc1320
lapc1350
bracec1375
embracec1386
clapa1400
folda1400
halsea1400
umbeclapa1400
accollc1400
fathomc1400
halchc1400
haspc1400
hoderc1440
plighta1450
plet?a1500
cuddlec1520
complect1523
umbfoldc1540
clasp1549
culla1564
cully1576
huggle1583
embosom1590
wrap1594
collya1600
cling1607
bosom1608
grasp1609
comply1648
huddlea1650
smuggle1679
inarm1713
snuggle1775
cwtch1965
c1375 ? J. Barbour St. Thomas 135 In armys cane brase þame bath.
c1430 Syr Gener. 3324 In his armes he can hir brace.
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Eiiv A baby to brace and to basse.
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Aiiv/2 To Brace, amplecti.
2. To encompass, surround, gird, encircle; also, causally, to put round, make to surround. (Now usually with some notion of 3 combined.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surrounding > surround or lie around [verb (transitive)]
befong971
beclipc1000
begoc1000
belieOE
bestandc1000
to go about ——OE
umbegangc1200
behema1250
befallc1275
berunc1275
girdc1290
bihalvena1300
umlapa1300
umlaya1300
umlouka1300
umbegoc1300
belayc1320
halsea1340
enclose1340
umbelapa1350
embracec1360
betrendc1374
circlec1374
umbecasta1375
to give about1382
environa1393
umbeclipa1395
compassa1400
encircle?a1400
enourle?a1400
umbegivea1400
umbeseta1400
umbeliec1400
umbetighc1400
enroundc1420
measurec1425
umbsteadc1450
adviron?1473
purprise1481
umbeviron1489
belta1500
girtha1500
overgirda1500
engirt15..
envirea1513
round?a1513
brace1513
umbereach1513
becompass1520
circuea1533
girtc1540
umbsetc1540
circule1553
encompass1555
circulate?a1560
ingyre1568
to do about1571
engird1573
circumdate1578
succinge1578
employ1579
circuate1581
girdle1582
wheel1582
circumgyre1583
enring1589
ringa1592
embail1593
enfold1596
invier1596
stem1596
circumcingle1599
ingert1599
engirdle1602
circulize1603
circumscribe1605
begirt1608
to go round1610
enwheela1616
surround1616
shingle1621
encirculize1624
circumviron1632
beround1643
orba1644
circumference1646
becircle1648
incircuitc1650
circumcinge1657
circumtend1684
besiege1686
cincture1789
zone1795
cravat1814
encincture1820
circumvent1824
begirdle1837
perambulate1863
cordon1891
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surrounding > surround or lie around [verb (transitive)] > place around
brace1513
circumpose1578
ring1799
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. vi. 140 Euryll..hes this jowell [a girdle] hynt, About his sydis it brasing.
1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 124 Bigge Bulles of Basan brace hem about.
1782 W. Cowper John Gilpin 122 He seem'd to carry weight, With leathern girdle braced.
1835 T. Aird in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 179 A flowing wood the middle mountain braced.
3. To clasp, fasten up tightly, gird: sometimes with a reference to one or other of the senses of brace n.2
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > bind > bind up or together > tightly
bracec1325
c1325 Coer de L. 5649 Anon did hote Faste that men scholde it brace.
?a1400 Morte Arth. 1182 Stryke of his hevede..brace it in yryne, And sett it on the barbycane.
1559 D. Lindsay Test. Papyngo l. 938 in Wks. (1931) I They haue ane Boumbard, braissit vp in bandis.
1562 G. Legh Accedens of Armory (1597) 10 b A Souldior.. caused his man to brace him in a male.
1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur iv. 110 He ne'er before had brac'd the Helmet on.
1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey III. x. 19 The adverse winds in leathern bags he brac'd.
1810 G. Crabbe Borough v. 71 His short stout Person he is wont to brace In good brown Broad-Cloth.
1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad I. viii. 255 I brace my armor on for war.
4. To make tight or tense; to stretch, strain (esp. the skin of a drum). Cf. brace n.2 10.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > hardness > types of hardness > [verb (transitive)] > make taut
stretcha1387
bracec1440
wrench1577
span1598
tend1646
span1650
screw1657
tauten1777
tensify1869
tense1884
tension1891
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 46 Bracyn, or sette streyte, tendo.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) v. ii. 169 A drumme is readie brac'd, That shall reuerberate all, as lowd as thine. View more context for this quotation
1735 J. Swift Panegyrick on D— in Wks. II. 291 Then Gluttony..Brac'd like a Drum her oily Skin.
1777 W. Robertson Hist. Amer. III. 443 Bracing the back of the bow with a kind of thread.
1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. iii. 49 In a drum, the pelt is carried over a hoop, and braced, as occasion requires.
5.
a. To ‘string up’ (nerves, sinews, etc.), give firmness or tone to; also passive (without up), to feel encouraged, to be ‘bucked’. So also to brace up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > make healthy [verb (transitive)] > bring into good condition
season1601
brace1736
fine1835
tonify1858
tonicize1884
1736 T. Gray Statius in Corr. May (1971) I. 42 His vigorous arm he try'd..Brac'd all his nerves, and every sinew strung.
1740 G. Cheyne Ess. Regimen 66 Medicines, to brace and wind up the Stomach.
c1750 W. Shenstone Elegies ix. 14 They gave you toils, but toils your sinews brace.
1847 L. Hunt Men, Women, & Bks. I. iii. 40 Would to Heaven his nerves had been as braced up as his face.
1879 C. Rossetti Seek & Find 56 Winter which nips can also brace.
1902 M. Barnes-Grundy Thames Camp 219 Zac and I are going to the seaside to be ‘braced up’.
1915 H. Rosher In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 78 The C.O. was awfully braced.
b. figurative. Also reflexive to brace oneself (cf. to gird oneself in gird v.1 1b); also to brace one's heart, brace energies, etc., in sense of summoning up resolution for a task. Also frequently with up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > prepare or get ready [verb (intransitive)] > prepare for an effort
bracea1500
to gird (up) the loins1526
to brace up1809
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > prepare [verb (reflexive)] > for effort
girdc1450
bracea1500
buckle1570
accinge1657
screw1785
to work up1820
nerve1821
poise1831
to screw up1841
the mind > emotion > courage > encouragement > encourage or embolden [verb (transitive)]
hearteOE
bieldc897
hardenc1175
elnea1225
hardyc1225
boldc1275
hardishc1325
endurec1384
assurec1386
emboldc1400
recomfortc1405
enharda1450
support1479
enhardy1483
animatec1487
encourage1490
emboldishc1503
hearten1524
bolden1526
spright1531
raise1533
accourage1534
enheart1545
to hearten on1555
hearten?1556
alacriate1560
bespirit1574
bebrave1576
to put in heart1579
to hearten up1580
embolden1583
bravea1593
enhearten1610
inspiritc1610
rehearten1611
blood1622
mana1625
valiant1628
flush1633
firm1639
buoy1645
embrave1648
reinhearten1652
reanimate1655
reinspirit1660
to give mettle to1689
warm1697
to lift (up) a person's spirits1711
reman1715
to make a man of1722
respirit1725
elate1726
to cocker up1762
enharden1779
nerve1799
boost1815
brace1816
high-mettle1831
braven1865
brazen1884
a1500 in H. J. Todd Illustr. Lives & Writings Gower & Chaucer (1810) 299 Arysyng full lyghtely my sylfe did I brase.
a1807 W. Wordsworth Prelude (1959) i. 8 A longing in me rose To brace myself to some determin'd aim.
1816 J. Austen Emma I. vii. 113 It was..necessary to brace her up with a few decisive expressions. View more context for this quotation
1836 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece II. xv. 306 Nothing now remained but to brace every nerve for the battle.
1876 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People i. §4. 39 Under Offa Mercia first really braced herself to the completion of her British conquests.
1887 ‘M. Corelli’ Thelma i. xvii He paused—then suddenly bracing himself up, added [etc.].
1891 T. Hardy Group of Noble Dames ix. 230 It gave him an opportunity to brace himself up.
1903 ‘No. 7’ 25 Years in 17 Prisons xii. 125 When I heard the words ‘sad news’..I braced myself up, clenched my teeth..and prepared to hear the worst.
c. intransitive. to brace up: to brace oneself; to pull oneself together for an effort; also, to take a drink for this purpose. Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > prepare or get ready [verb (intransitive)] > prepare for an effort
bracea1500
to gird (up) the loins1526
to brace up1809
1809 Deb. Congress 20 Jan. 1148 We have been..bracing up; we have had plenty of good wine.
1817 S. R. Brown Western Gazetteer 354 If the stomach be foul..take an emetic, and then brace up with bark.
1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings 62 He braces up for the occasion.
1856 E. G. Parker 4 July Orat. (Boston) 7 We may brace up for one day.
1888 Texas Siftings 18 Aug. (Farmer) Let's go over to the saloon and brace up with a snifter.
1893 Strand Mag. 6 216/1 At the end of the week she braced up again and soon got over her passion.
1896 G. Ade Artie x. 88 W'y, you big stiff, brace up and get through with it before you go daffy.
a1910 ‘M. Twain’ Myst. Stranger (1916) 130 All that was needed..was that Wilhelm should brace up and do something that should cause favorable talk.
1958 M. Dickens Man Overboard ix. 145 Don't make a scene, Mum... Brace up.
6.
a. To render firm or steady by binding tightly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > bind > make firm or steady by binding
brace1785
1785 W. Cowper Task i. 41 A lattice-work, that braced The new machine, and it became a chair.
1803 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) I. 488 The spring lines are then lashed diagonally from one boat to the other to brace them tight.
1870 G. Rolleston Forms Animal Life 144 They are braced by ligaments.
b. More generally: To fix, render firm, set rigidly or firmly down. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > absence of movement > render immobile [verb (transitive)] > stabilize > fix firmly in place
morec1300
ficchec1374
firmc1374
fix14..
staplec1400
stithc1480
perplant1548
settle1560
stay1565
lock1590
haft1755
sicker1824
brace1849
1849 H. D. Thoreau Week Concord & Merrimack Rivers 315 With their fore feet braced, they sustained the rushing torrent in their rear.
1873 J. G. Holland Arthur Bonnicastle xiii. 222 Braced by them as I was, Mr. Mullens made no headway against me.
1876 G. J. Whyte-Melville Katerfelto ix. 98 He braced his foot in the stirrup to afford a purchase for her ascent.
7. To join firmly, couple together.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fact or action of being joined or joining > fact or action of being connected or connecting > connect [verb (transitive)] > specifically in thought, speech, or writing
couplec1230
colligate1613
connect1678
tack1683
brace1826
1826 E. Irving Babylon I. iii. 210 Which event is again braced to the former parts of the book.
8. (See quot. 1889.) Also, to charge extortionately. U.S. slang.
ΚΠ
1889 J. S. Farmer Americanisms Brace, To (Cant.), to get credit by swagger.
1889 J. S. Farmer Americanisms To brace it through, to succeed by dint of sheer impudence.
1923 M. Watts Luther Nichols 269 I haven't quite the cheek to brace you for board and lodging both.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

bracev.2

Forms: Also 1500s brase.
Etymology: probably a use of brace v.1 (see especially sense 5): but compare also Old French braçoier to swing the arms about (as a sign of pride; compare quot. in Godefroy ‘Orgueus va des bras brachoiant, Des espaules espauloiant’).
Obsolete.
†1. To bluster, domineer; to assume a defiant attitude; chiefly in phrase to face and brace. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (intransitive)] > defy
stout1303
to be (also meet, run) in a person's beardc1380
to face and brace1447
to stout it1570
to bid defiance1629
to stout it outa1639
bravado1801
to breast it out1815
the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > blustering or bravado > bluster [verb (intransitive)]
face1440
brace1447
ruffle1484
puff1490
to face (something) out with a card of ten?1499
to face with a card of ten?1499
cock1542
to brave it1549
roist1563
huff1598
swagger1600
ruff1602
tear1602
bouncec1626
to bravade the street1634
brustle1648
hector1661
roister1663
huffle1673
ding1679
fluster1698
bully1733
to bluster like bull-beef1785
swell1795
buck1880
swashbuckle1897
loudmouth1931
1447–8 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) 23 He can..braule, bragge and brace, lye and swere well to.
a1529 J. Skelton Against Scottes (1843) 33 Such boste make To face and brace All voyd of Grace.
1549 H. Latimer 2nd Serm. before Kynges Maiestie 5th Serm. sig. Rviiv Men, in thys poynte, woulde face it and brace it and make a shewe of vpright dealing.
1550 T. Becon Fortresse of Faythfull sig. E.iii They gripe thei nipe, thei face thei brase, they semble..to maintaine and set forth their unnoble nobilitie.
2. transitive. To assume a defiant attitude towards. U.S.
ΚΠ
1922 Z. Grey To Last Man vii. 165 He must have been crazy or drunk—to pop up there—an' brace us that way.
1922 Z. Grey To Last Man xii. 263 Ever since that cowman, Blue, braced us an' said he was King Fisher.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

bracev.3

Brit. /breɪs/, U.S. /breɪs/
Forms: Also 1600s breace.
Etymology: < French brasser (also brasseyer ), of same meaning; or < brace n.3
Nautical.
a. transitive. To move or turn (a sail) by means of braces. Hence, with various adverbs and prepositions, as brace aback, to draw (the yards) in, so as to lay the sails aback; brace about, brace abox (see quots.); brace by, to brace (the yards) in contrary directions on the different masts; brace in, to lay (the yards) less obliquely athwartships; brace round = brace about; brace sharp (see quot.); brace to, to ease the lee- and draw in (the weather-braces) so as to assist in tacking; brace up, to put (the yards) into a more oblique position. Also absol. in preceding uses.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > carry specific amount of sail [verb (transitive)] > trim sails > by means of braces
brace1669
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 16 Breace the Foresail..to the Mast.
1675 London Gaz. No. 3073/3 He Braced to and fell a-stern.
1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 427 Brace the foremost yards aback.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Brasser sous le vent, to brace to leeward, or brace-up the yards.
1832 F. Marryat Newton Forster I. xi. 137 The yards [were] braced by.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxii. 66 Her yards were braced sharp up.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 127 To brace about, to turn the yards round for the contrary tack. To brace abox, a manœuvre to insure casting the right way, by bracing the head-yards flat aback (not square). To brace sharp, to cause the yards to have the smallest possible angle with the keel, for the ship to have head-way.
b. transferred (humorous.)
ΚΠ
1834 M. Scott Cruise of Midge i, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 327/2 We braced up sharp round a right-angled corner of the pestiferous path.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1888; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1c1400n.2c1400n.31626adj.1875v.1c1325v.21447v.31669
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