brace
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /bɹeɪs/
rhymes: -eɪs
Forms: form: braces
Etymology: From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”).
Senses: glosses: Armor for the arm; vambrace.
glosses: A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.
examples: text: a brace and bit
glosses: A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
glosses: That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
glosses: A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
examples: text: The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that.
ref: 1713, W[illiam] Derham, Physico-Theology: Or, A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, from His Works of Creation. […], London: […] W[illiam] Innys, […], →OCLC:
glosses: A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
examples: text: 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: […]
ref: 1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech: An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural Production of Letters: […], London: […] T. N[ewcomb] for J[ohn] Martyn printer to the R[oyal] Society, […], →OCLC, page 113:
glosses: The state of being braced or tight; tension.
examples: text: ’Tis a Pageant / To keepe vs in falſe gaze, when we conſider / Th’importancie of Cyprus to the Turke; / And let our ſelues againe but vnderſtand, / That as it more concerne the Turke then Rhodes, / So may he with more facile queſtion beare it, / For that it ſtands not in ſuch Warrelike brace, / But altogether lackes th’abilities / That Rhodes is dreſs’d in.
ref: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 313, column 1:
glosses: Harness; warlike preparation.
topics: media
publishing
typography
glosses: 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.
examples: text: But you, my brace of Lords, were I ſo minded / I heere could plucke his Highneſſe frowne vpon you / And iuſtifie you Traitors: […]
ref: 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 17, column 1:
text: A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church; […]
ref: 1655, Thomas Fuller, “Section II. The Seventh Century.”, in The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI), subsection 84 (St. Cedde and St. Chad), page 127:
text: 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; […]
ref: 1716 May 4 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 36. Monday, April 23. [1716.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC, page 493:
text: "Are you a prime shot?" said Richard. / Ripton nodded knowingly, and answered, "Pretty good." / "Then we'll have a dozen brace apiece to-day," said Richard.
ref: 1859, George Meredith, “Showing How the Fates Selected the Fourteenth Birthday to Try the Strength of the System”, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, page 79:
text: There were four of us,—my friend the captain, myself, an old sportsman from Sognedale, called Peter Sandaker, and a smart boy, who had charge of two brace of hounds.
ref: 1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], “A Day with the Capercailzies”, in H. L. Brækstad, transl., Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, →OCLC, page 68:
text: He had had a good day, for several brace of wild fowl hung from his shoulder, and he appeared tired.
ref: 1905, P[atrick] A[ugustine] Sheehan, “Foreshadowings”, in Glenanaar: A Story of Irish Life, New York, N.Y.; London; Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], page 115:
qualifier: plural brace
glosses: 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.)
glosses: 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.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
topics: business
mining
glosses: The mouth of a shaft.
glosses: Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
glosses: A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
raw_tags: in North America
in the UK
examples: text: 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.
ref: 28 March 2023, Graeme McGarry, “Scott McTominay earns place in history as Scotland stun Spain”, in The Herald:
text: To score a 'brace' means that you have scored two goals in a game.
ref: 2020 October 23, “What is a brace in soccer?”, in Goal:
topics: ball-games
games
hobbies
lifestyle
soccer
sports
glosses: Two goals scored by one player in a game.
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Two wickets taken with two consecutive deliveries.
Synonyms: sense: measure of length representing a person's outstretched arms
word: fathom
sense: pair, couple
word: dyad
word: twosome
word: duo
Derived terms: angle brace
armbrace
braceless
cross brace
curly brace
embrace
forebrace
in a brace of shakes
mainbrace
Meole Brace
neckbrace
neck-brace
neck brace
one true brace style
overbrace
thoroughbrace
underbrace
wheel brace