un brailed
noun
1.
Nautical. any of several horizontal lines fastened to the edge of a fore-and-aft sail or lateen sail, for gathering in the sail.
2.
a leather binding for a hawk's wings, to prohibit flight.
verb (used with object)
3.
Nautical.
a.
to gather or haul in (a sail) by means of brails (usually followed by up ).
b.
to transfer (fish) from a net to the hold of a ship.
4.
to bind (the wings of a bird) in order to prevent it from flying.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English, variant of brayell < Anglo-French braiel; Old French < Medieval Latin brācāle breechbelt, noun use of neuter of brācālis, equivalent to Latin brāc(ae) trousers (< Gaulish) + -ālis -al1
1400–50; late Middle English, variant of brayell < Anglo-French braiel; Old French < Medieval Latin brācāle breechbelt, noun use of neuter of brācālis, equivalent to Latin brāc(ae) trousers (< Gaulish) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
un·brailed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To un brailed
00:10
Un brailed
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
brail (breɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | one of several lines fastened to the leech of a fore-and-aft sail to aid in furling it |
| —vb (sometimes foll by up) | |
| 2. | to furl (a fore-and-aft sail) using brails |
| [C15: from Old French braiel, from Medieval Latin brācāle belt for breeches, from Latin brāca breeches] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
brail
small rope used on ships, mid-15c., from O.Fr. brail, earlier braiel "belt, leather thong," from L. bracale "waistbelt," from bracæ "breeches" (pl., see breeches).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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