I. ˈbrās noun
( plural braces also brace ; see sense 2 )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, two arms, from Latin bracchia, brachia, plural of bracchium, brachium arm, modification of Greek brachiōn, from brachys short — more at brief
1. obsolete
a. : armor especially for the arm
b. : an arm of water : inlet
2. plural brace or braces : two of a kind
a brace of hounds
several brace of quail
: a pair especially of things usually kept together
a brace of dueling pistols
3.
[Middle English, probably influenced in meaning by Middle English bracen to embrace, clasp]
archaic : a clasp, a buckle, or a similar binding or encompassing device
4. : a crank-shaped instrument with handles and a chuck for holding and turning auger bits
5. : something that transmits, directs, resists, or supports weight or pressure: as
a. : a piece of material that divides a frame or truss into triangular parts and serves as a tie or strut to bear transverse strains and prevent distortion
b. : one of the slides on the cords of a drum used to tighten the drumhead
c.
[perhaps influenced in meaning by French bras, literally, arm, from Latin brachium ]
: a rope rove through a block at the end of a yard of a square-rigged ship and used to swing and trim the yard horizontally — see ship illustration
d. : one of the leather straps used to suspend the body of a horse-drawn carriage from the springs
e. braces plural : suspenders
f. : an appliance that gives support to movable parts (as a joint or a fractured bone), to weak muscles (as in paralysis), or to strained ligaments (as of the lower back)
g. : an endpiece by which the outer end of the mainspring of a timepiece is attached to the barrel
h. : something (as a chock) used to secure goods and containers during shipment
i. : a device (as a bar or an angle bracket) used to produce stiffness or rigidity : reinforcement
6.
a. : a mark { or } or ⏟ used to connect words or items to be considered together, equal, or in pairs or to enclose items of which only one is to be chosen
b. : this mark connecting two or more musical staffs and indicating that the parts on these staffs are to be performed simultaneously ; also : the group of staffs so connected
the upper brace
c. : one of the pair of such marks used as signs of aggregation in mathematics
d. : bracket 4a
7. : an exaggerated position of attention or of rigidly erect bearing (as while drilling or on parade)
on review, his uniform and brace were technically correct — Time
8. : something that arouses energy, increases power of exertion, or strengthens or helps in recovering morale
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English bracen, from Middle French bracier to embrace, from brace
transitive verb
1. archaic : to fasten tightly : bind , tie
2.
a. obsolete : embrace
b. archaic : encircle , surround
3.
a. : to prepare for use by making taut
brace a drum
especially : to place the string of (a bow) in the nocks
b. : to prepare especially for a struggle, enterprise, shock : steel
brace his will
no other country was so … braced for empire and for glory — Mary S. Douglas
the class braced itself for the examination
— sometimes used with up
hearing the words “bad news”, the family braced itself up
c. : invigorate , freshen , enliven
wind bracing the air
— often used with up
I took the shower and it braced me up a bit — Raymond Chandler
4.
[ brace (I) (rope at the end of a yard)]
: to turn (a sail yard) by means of a brace
5.
[ brace (I) ]
a. : to prop up or support with braces
brace a sagging floor
a well- braced trestle
the 29-year-old … woman, heavily braced because of polio — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
b. : strengthen , reinforce
the sides were braced by tar paper, chicken wire, and timber — S.W.Matthews
nerves … braced by long familiarity with danger — T.B.Macaulay
6.
a. : to make rigid : stiffen
Constance was braced into a moveless anguish — Arnold Bennett
b. : to put or plant firmly
he … braced his hand on the stone … and … sprang lightly up — Kay Boyle
7.
a. : to waylay especially with demands or questions : confront
when braced, Willie had naturally denied his identity — Time
he braced the owners for a raise — N.M.Clark
b. : to harry with repeated and abusive questions or criticism : dress down : badger , grill , hound
the police braced him on the charge
intransitive verb
1. : to take heart : buck up — used with up
if you don't brace up and do something — Upton Sinclair
2. : to get ready : prepare quickly (as for an attack)
3. : to assume a brace (sense 7)
today, the plebe need never brace in public and physical hazing is forbidden — Newsweek
Synonyms: see support
III.
archaic
variant of brass III
IV. noun
brac·es plural : a nonremovable orthodontic appliance usually of metallic wire that is used especially to exert pressure to straighten misaligned teeth