brace
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Old French brace (“arms”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of Latin bracchium, "arm".
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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.
- A vertical curved line or "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {{role, roll}}; or, in music, used to connect staves.
- A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally and then other things. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In (UK) 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.
- The mouth of a shaft.
- (usually plural) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
- (usually plural) 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.
[edit] Translations
vertical curved line (curly bracket)
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bitstock
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harness
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suspenders
system to correct crooked teeth
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straps or bands to sustain trousers — see suspenders
[edit] Verb
brace (third-person singular simple present braces, present participle bracing, simple past and past participle braced)
- To prepare for something bad, as an impact or blow. All hands, brace for impact!
- (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
[edit] Translations
to prepare oneself for an impact
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[edit] Related terms
[edit] Anagrams
[edit] Italian
[edit] Noun
brace f. (plural braci)
- (chiefly in the plural) embers
- Carne alla brace
