braces definition | Dictionary.com

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.

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, esp. a bracer.

14.	Military. a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.

–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.

20.	Military. to order (a subordinate) to assume and maintain a brace.

–verb (used without object)

21.	Military. to assume a brace.

—Verb phrase

22.	brace in, Nautical. to brace (the yards of a square-rigged vessel) more nearly athwartships, as for running free.

—Idiom

23.	brace up, Informal. to summon up one's courage; become resolute: She choked back her tears and braced up.

Origin:
1300–50; (n.) ME < AF, OF: pair of arms < L brā(c)chia pl. (taken as fem. sing.) of brā(c)chium arm (< Gk; see brachium ); (v.) in part ME bracen (< AF bracier, deriv. of brace; cf. embrace ¹ ), in part. deriv. of the n.

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

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sus⋅pend⋅er

[suh-spen-der]

–noun

1.	Usually, suspenders. Also called, especially British, braces. adjustable straps or bands worn over the shoulders with the ends buttoned or clipped to the waistband of a pair of trousers or a skirt to support it.

2.	British. garter.

3.	a hanging cable or chain in a suspension bridge connecting the deck with the suspension cable or chain.

4.	a person or thing that suspends.

Origin:
1515–25; 1800–10, Americanism for def. 1; suspend + -er ¹

Related forms:

sus⋅pend⋅er⋅less, adjective

Link To braces

brace (brās)

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n.

A device that holds or fastens two or more parts together or in place; a clamp.
A device, such as a supporting beam in a building or a connecting wire or rope, that steadies or holds something else erect.
braces Chiefly British Suspenders.
An orthopedic appliance used to support, align, or hold a bodily part in the correct position.
A dental appliance constructed of bands and wires that is fixed to the teeth to correct irregular alignment. Often used in the plural.
An extremely stiff, erect posture.
A cause or source of renewed physical or spiritual vigor.
A protective pad strapped to the bow arm of an archer.
Nautical A rope by which a yard is swung and secured on a square-rigged ship.
A cranklike handle with an adjustable aperture at one end for securing and turning a bit.
Music A leather loop that slides to change the tension on the cord of a drum.
Music
1. A vertical line, usually accompanied by the symbol {, connecting two or more staffs.
2. A set of staffs connected in this way.
A symbol, { or }, enclosing two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are considered as a unit.
Mathematics Either of a pair of symbols, { }, used to indicate aggregation or to clarify the grouping of quantities when parentheses and square brackets have already been used. Also called bracket.
pl. brace A pair of like things: three brace of partridges.

v. braced, brac·ing, brac·es

v. tr.

To furnish with a brace.
To support or hold steady with or as if with a brace; reinforce.
To prepare or position so as to be ready for impact or danger: Union members braced themselves for a confrontation with management.
To confront with questions or requests.
To increase the tension of.
To invigorate; stimulate: "The freshness of the September morning inspired and braced him" (Thomas Hardy).
Nautical To turn (the yards of a ship) by the braces.

v. intr.
To get ready; make preparations.
Phrasal Verb(s):
brace upTo summon one's strength or endurance.

[Middle English, from Old French, the two arms, from Vulgar Latin *bracia, from Latin brācchia, pl. of brācchium, arm, from Greek brakhīōn, upper arm; see mregh-u- in Indo-European roots. V., partly from Old French bracier, from Old French brace, the two arms.]

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