brace, bracing
(noun) a structural member used to stiffen a framework
brace, bitstock
(noun) a carpenterās tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring
brace, braces, orthodontic braces
(noun) an appliance that corrects dental irregularities
brace
(noun) a support that steadies or strengthens something else; āhe wore a brace on his kneeā
brace, suspender, gallus
(noun) elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)
brace
(noun) a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it
brace
(noun) either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material
pair, brace
(noun) a set of two similar things considered as a unit
couple, pair, twosome, twain, brace, span, yoke, couplet, distich, duo, duet, dyad, duad
(noun) two items of the same kind
stimulate, arouse, brace, energize, energise, perk up
(verb) cause to be alert and energetic; āCoffee and tea stimulate meā; āThis herbal infusion doesnāt stimulateā
brace
(verb) support by bracing
brace, steady, stabilize, stabilise
(verb) support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace; ābrace your elbows while working on the potterās wheelā
brace, poise
(verb) prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
Source: WordNet® 3.1
brace (plural braces)
(obsolete) Armor for the arm; vambrace.
(obsolete) A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.
A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
The state of being braced or tight; tension.
Harness; warlike preparation.
(typography) 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.
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. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.
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.
(nautical) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
(UK, Cornwall, mining) The mouth of a shaft.
(UK, mostly, in the plural) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
(plural in North America, singular or plural in the UK) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
(soccer) Two goals scored by one player in a game.
• (measure of length representing a person's outstretched arms): fathom
• (pair, couple): dyad, twosome; see also duo
brace (third-person singular simple present braces, present participle bracing, simple past and past participle braced)
(transitive, intransitive) To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow.
To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.
(nautical) 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 stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
To confront with questions, demands or requests.
To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.
To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.
To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
• (strengthen): See also strengthen
• acerb, caber, cabre, cabrĆ©
Brace (plural Braces)
A surname.
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Brace is the 6823rd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4943 individuals. Brace is most common among White (87.62%) individuals.
• acerb, caber, cabre, cabrĆ©
Source: Wiktionary
Brace, n. Etym: [OF. brace, brasse, the two arms, embrace, fathom, F. brasse fathom, fr. L. bracchia the arms (stretched out), pl. of bracchium arm; cf. Gr.
1. 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, as a cord on the side 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. Derham.
3. The state of being braced or tight; tension. The laxness of the tympanum, when it has lost its brace or tension. Holder.
4. (Arch. & Engin.)
Definition: 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.
5. (Print.)
Definition: A vertical curved line connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be taken together; thus, boll, bowl; or, in music, used to connect staves.
6. (Naut.)
Definition: A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
7. (Mech.)
Definition: A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
8. A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to persons, except familiarly or with some contempt. "A brace of greyhounds." Shak. He is said to have shot . . . fifty brace of pheasants. Addison. A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church. Fuller. But you, my brace of lords. Shak.
9. pl.
Definition: Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders. I embroidered for you a beautiful pair of braces. Thackeray.
10. Harness; warlike preparation. [Obs.] For that it stands not in such warlike brace. Shak.
11. Armor for the arm; vantbrace.
12. (Mining)
Definition: The mouth of a shaft. [Cornwall] Angle brace. See under Angle.
Brace, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braced; p. pr. & vb. n. Bracing.]
1. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace a beam in a building.
2. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves. And welcome war to brace her drums. Campbell.
3. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly. The women of China, by bracing and binding them from their infancy, have very little feet. Locke. Some who spurs had first braced on. Sir W. Scott.
4. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly; as, he braced himself against the crowd. A sturdy lance in his right hand he braced. Fairfax.
5. (Naut.)
Definition: To move around by means of braces; as, to brace the yards. To brace about (Naut.), to turn (a yard) round for the contrary tack.
– To brace a yard (Naut.), to move it horizontally by means of a brace.
– To brace in (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by hauling in the weather brace.
– To brace one's self, to call up one's energies. "He braced himself for an effort which he was little able to make." J. D. Forbes. - To brace to (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by checking or easing off the lee brace, and hauling in the weather one, to assist in tacking.
– To brace up (Naut.), to bring (a yard) nearer the direction of the keel by hauling in the lee brace.
– To brace up sharp (Naut.), to turn (a yard) as far forward as the rigging will permit.
Brace, v. i.
Definition: To get tone or vigor; to rouse one's energies; -with up. [Colloq.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 February 2025
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
