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braced

[breys] Origin

brace

[breys] noun, verb, braced, brac·ing.
noun
1.
something that holds parts together or in place, as a clasp or clamp.
2.
anything that imparts rigidity or steadiness.
3.
Also called bitbrace, bitstock. Machinery. a device for holding and turning a bit for boring or drilling.
4.
Building Trades. a piece of timber, metal, etc., for supporting or positioning another piece or portion of a framework.
5.
Nautical. (on a square-rigged ship) a rope by which a yard is swung about and secured horizontally.
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6.
Music. leather loops sliding upon the tightening cords of a drum to change their tension and the drum's pitch.
7.
Often, braces. Dentistry. a round or flat metal wire placed against the surfaces of the teeth for straightening irregularly arranged teeth.
8.
Medicine/Medical. an appliance for supporting a weak joint or joints.
9.
braces, Chiefly British. suspender (def. 1).
10.
a pair; couple: a brace of grouse.
11.
Printing.
a.
one of two characters { or } used to enclose words or lines to be considered together.
b.
bracket (def. 7).
12.
Music. connected staves.
13.
a protective band covering the wrist or lower part of the arm, especially a bracer.
14.
Military. a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
15.
to furnish, fasten, or strengthen with or as if with a brace.
16.
to fix firmly; make steady; secure against pressure or impact: He braces himself when the ship rolls. Brace yourself for some bad news.
17.
to make tight; increase the tension of.
18.
to act as a stimulant to.
19.
Nautical. to swing or turn around (the yards of a ship) by means of the braces.
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20.
Military. to order (a subordinate) to assume and maintain a brace.
COLLAPSE

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Braced is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
verb (used without object)
21.
Military. to assume a brace.
22.
brace in, Nautical. to brace (the yards of a square-rigged vessel) more nearly athwartships, as for running free.
23.
brace up, Informal. to summon up one's courage; become resolute: She choked back her tears and braced up.

Origin:
1300–50; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French: pair of arms < Latin brā(c)chia plural (taken as feminine singular) of brā(c)chium arm (< Greek; see brachium); (v.) in part Middle English bracen (< Anglo-French bracier, derivative of brace; compare embrace1), in participle derivative of the noun

o·ver·brace, verb (used with object), -braced, -brac·ing.
re·brace, verb (used with object), -braced, -brac·ing.
un·der·brace, noun
un·der·brace, verb (used with object), -braced, -brac·ing.
well-braced, adjective


1. vise. 4. stay, prop, strut. 10. See pair. 15. support, fortify, prop. 17. tauten, tense. 18. fortify.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

brace
early 14c., "armor for the arms," from O.Fr. brace, braz "arms," also "length measured by two arms" (12c., Mod.Fr. bras "arm, power;" brasse "fathom, armful, breaststroke"), from L. bracchia pl. of bracchium "an arm, a forearm," from Gk. brakhion "arm" (see brachio-).
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Applied to various devices for fastening and tightening, on notion of clasping arms. The verb "to render firm or steady by tensing" is mid-15c., with figurative extension to tonics, etc. that "brace" the nerves (cf. bracer "stiff drink"). Related: Braced; bracing.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

brace (brās)
n.

  1. An orthopedic appliance that supports or holds a movable part of the body in correct position while allowing motion of the part.

  2. Often braces A dental appliance, constructed of bands and wires that is fixed to the teeth to correct irregular alignment.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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