Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

braid

 - 3 dictionary results

braid

[breyd]
–verb (used with object)
1. to weave together strips or strands of; plait: to braid the hair.
2. to form by such weaving: to braid a rope.
3. to bind or confine (the hair) with a band, ribbon, etc.
4. to trim with braid, as a garment.
–noun
5. a braided length or plait, esp. of hair.
6. a hair style formed by interweaving three or more strands of hair.
7. a narrow, ropelike band formed by plaiting or weaving together several strands of silk, cotton, or other material, used as trimming for garments, drapery, etc.
8. a band, ribbon, etc., for binding or confining the hair.

Origin:
bef. 950; ME braiden, breiden (v.), OE bregdan to move quickly, move to and fro, weave; c. ON bregtha, D breien


braider, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To braid
braid   (brād)   
v.   braid·ed, braid·ing, braids

v.   tr.
    1. To interweave three or more strands, strips, or lengths of in a diagonally overlapping pattern: braided the rags into a strong rope.

    2. To create (something) by such interweaving: braid a rug.

    3. To style (the hair) by such interweaving.

    4. To mingle (discrete elements, for example) as if by such interweaving: braided the ideas into a complex thesis.

  1. To decorate or edge (something) with a trim of interwoven strands: finished the jacket by braiding the collar and cuffs.

  2. To fasten or decorate (hair) with a band or ribbon.

v.   intr.
To flow, twist, or wind as if interwoven: a stream braiding through the woods.
n.  
  1. A braided segment or length, as of hair, fabric, or fiber.

  2. Ornamental cord or ribbon, used especially for decorating or edging fabrics.

  3. A ribbon or band used to fasten the hair.

  4. Slang Naval officers of high rank.


[Middle English braiden, from Old English bregdan, to weave.]
braid'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

braid 
c.1205, breidan "to dart, twist, pull," from O.E. bregdan "to move quickly" (class III strong verb, past tense brægd, past participle brogden), from P.Gmc. *bregthan "make sudden jerky movements from side to side" (cf. O.N. bregða "to brandish, turn about, braid;" O.S. bregdan "to weave;" Du. breien "to knit;" O.H.G. brettan "to draw, weave, braid"), from PIE base *bherek- "to gleam, flash." The broader word survives only in the narrow definition of "plaiting hair," which was in O.E. The noun meaning "anything plaited or entwined" (especially hair) is from 1530.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see braid on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: