I. ˈbrāk
archaic past of break
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English, fern, probably back-formation from braken bracken
Date: 14th century
: the common bracken fern ( Pteridium aquilinum )
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle Low German; akin to Old English brecan to break
Date: 15th century
1. : a toothed instrument or machine for separating out the fiber of flax or hemp by breaking up the woody parts
2. : a machine for bending, flanging, folding, and forming sheet metal
IV. noun
Etymology: Middle English -brake
Date: 1562
: rough or marshy land overgrown usually with one kind of plant
• braky ˈbrā-kē adjective
V. noun
Etymology: perhaps from obsolete brake bridle
Date: circa 1782
1. : a device for arresting or preventing the motion of a mechanism usually by means of friction
2. : something used to slow down or stop movement or activity
use interest rates as a brake on spending
• brake·less ˈbrā-kləs adjective
VI. verb
( braked ; brak·ing )
Date: 1868
transitive verb
: to retard or stop by or as if by a brake
intransitive verb
1. : to operate or manage a brake ; especially : to apply the brake on a vehicle
2. : to become checked by a brake