Associations to the word «Brace»

Wiktionary

BRACE, noun. (obsolete) Armor for the arm; vambrace.
BRACE, noun. (obsolete) A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.
BRACE, noun. A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
BRACE, noun. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
BRACE, noun. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
BRACE, noun. A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
BRACE, noun. The state of being braced or tight; tension.
BRACE, noun. Harness; warlike preparation.
BRACE, noun. (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.
BRACE, noun. A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally 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.
BRACE, noun. 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.
BRACE, noun. (nautical) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
BRACE, noun. (UK) (Cornwall) (mining) The mouth of a shaft.
BRACE, noun. (mostly in the plural) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
BRACE, noun. (mostly in the plural) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
BRACE, noun. (soccer) Two goals scored by one player in a game.
BRACE, verb. (transitive) (intransitive) To prepare for something bad, as an impact or blow.
BRACE, verb. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.
BRACE, verb. (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
BRACE, verb. To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
BRACE, verb. To confront with questions, demands or requests.
BRACE, verb. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.
BRACE, verb. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.
BRACE, verb. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
BRACE ABACK, verb. (nautical) to bring the wind onto the forward side of the sails to slow the ship
BRACE ABOUT, verb. (nautical) to brace the ship's yards on the opposite tack when going about
BRACE ABOX, verb. (nautical) To bring the foreyards flat aback to stop the ship.
BRACE BY, verb. (nautical) to bring the yards in opposite directions on different masts when doing certain maneuvers
BRACE IN, verb. (nautical) to bring the yards more square to the fore and aft line
BRACE OF SHAKES, noun. (nautical) The time taken for a sail to shake or shiver twice as a ship comes into the wind.
BRACE OF SHAKES, noun. (idiomatic) A very short time.
BRACE SHARP, verb. (nautical) to bring the yards around to make the smallest possible angle with the fore and aft line when sailing close-hauled
BRACE UP, verb. (intransitive) To become more optimistic
BRACE UP, verb. (intransitive) To strengthen oneself, become stronger or more resilient.

Dictionary definition

BRACE, noun. A support that steadies or strengthens something else; "he wore a brace on his knee".
BRACE, noun. Two items of the same kind.
BRACE, noun. A set of two similar things considered as a unit.
BRACE, noun. Either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material.
BRACE, noun. A rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it.
BRACE, noun. Elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural).
BRACE, noun. An appliance that corrects dental irregularities.
BRACE, noun. A carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring.
BRACE, noun. A structural member used to stiffen a framework.
BRACE, verb. Prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult.
BRACE, verb. Support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace; "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel".
BRACE, verb. Support by bracing.
BRACE, verb. Cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"; "This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate".

Wise words

Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.
Oliver Wendell Holmes