| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| brace | noun | That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop., A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension, as a cord on the side of a drum., The state of being braced or tight; tension., A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell., A vertical curved line connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be taken together; thus, boll, bowl; or, in music, used to connect staves., A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon., A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock., A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to persons, except familiarly or with some contempt., Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders., Harness; warlike preparation., Armor for the arm; vantbrace., The mouth of a shaft., To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace a beam in a building., To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves., To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly., To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly; as, he braced himself against the crowd., To move around by means of braces; as, to brace the yards., To get tone or vigor; to rouse one’s energies; — with up. |
| brach | noun | A bitch of the hound kind. |
| brack | noun | An opening caused by the parting of any solid body; a crack or breach; a flaw., Salt or brackish water. |
| bract | noun | A leaf, usually smaller than the true leaves of a plant, from the axil of which a flower stalk arises., Any modified leaf, or scale, on a flower stalk or at the base of a flower. |
| braid | verb t. | To weave, interlace, or entwine together, as three or more strands or threads; to form into a braid; to plait., To mingle, or to bring to a uniformly soft consistence, by beating, rubbing, or straining, as in some culinary operations., To reproach. [Obs.] See Upbraid., A plait, band, or narrow fabric formed by intertwining or weaving together different strands., A narrow fabric, as of wool, silk, or linen, used for binding, trimming, or ornamenting dresses, etc., A quick motion; a start., A fancy; freak; caprice., To start; to awake., Deceitful. |
| brail | noun | A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk’s wing., Ropes passing through pulleys, and used to haul in or up the leeches, bottoms, or corners of sails, preparatory to furling., A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched., To haul up by the brails; — used with up; as, to brail up a sail. |
| brain | noun | The whitish mass of soft matter (the center of the nervous system, and the seat of consciousness and volition) which is inclosed in the cartilaginous or bony cranium of vertebrate animals. It is simply the anterior termination of the spinal cord, and is developed from three embryonic vesicles, whose cavities are connected with the central canal of the cord; the cavities of the vesicles become the central cavities, or ventricles, and the walls thicken unequally and become the three segments, the fore-, mid-, and hind-brain., The anterior or cephalic ganglion in insects and other invertebrates., The organ or seat of intellect; hence, the understanding., The affections; fancy; imagination., To dash out the brains of; to kill by beating out the brains. Hence, Fig.: To destroy; to put an end to; to defeat., To conceive; to understand. |
| brait | noun | A rough diamond. |
| brake | imp. of Break., A fern of the genus Pteris, esp. the P. aquilina, common in almost all countries. It has solitary stems dividing into three principal branches. Less properly: Any fern., A thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with undergrowth and ferns, or with canes., An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber., An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine., A baker’s kneading though., A sharp bit or snaffle., A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc., That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn., An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista., A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag., A piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction, as of a carriage or railway car, by the pressure of rubbers against the wheels, or of clogs or ratchets against the track or roadway, or of a pivoted lever against a wheel or drum in a machine., An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine, or other motor, by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will overcome; a friction brake., A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses., An ancient instrument of torture., of Break | |
| braky | adjective | Full of brakes; abounding with brambles, shrubs, or ferns; rough; thorny. |
| brama | noun | See Brahma. |
| brame | noun | Sharp passion; vexation. |
| brand | verb t. | A burning piece of wood; or a stick or piece of wood partly burnt, whether burning or after the fire is extinct., A sword, so called from its glittering or flashing brightness., A mark made by burning with a hot iron, as upon a cask, to designate the quality, manufacturer, etc., of the contents, or upon an animal, to designate ownership; — also, a mark for a similar purpose made in any other way, as with a stencil. Hence, figurately: Quality; kind; grade; as, a good brand of flour., A mark put upon criminals with a hot iron. Hence: Any mark of infamy or vice; a stigma., An instrument to brand with; a branding iron., Any minute fungus which produces a burnt appearance in plants. The brands are of many species and several genera of the order Pucciniaei., To burn a distinctive mark into or upon with a hot iron, to indicate quality, ownership, etc., or to mark as infamous (as a convict)., To put an actual distinctive mark upon in any other way, as with a stencil, to show quality of contents, name of manufacture, etc., Fig.: To fix a mark of infamy, or a stigma, upon., To mark or impress indelibly, as with a hot iron. |
| brank | noun | Buckwheat., Alt. of Branks, To hold up and toss the head; — applied to horses as spurning the bit., To prance; to caper. |
| brant | noun | A species of wild goose (Branta bernicla) — called also brent and brand goose. The name is also applied to other related species., Steep., Steep; high., Smooth; unwrinkled. |
| brash | adjective | Hasty in temper; impetuous., Brittle, as wood or vegetables., A rash or eruption; a sudden or transient fit of sickness., Refuse boughs of trees; also, the clippings of hedges., Broken and angular fragments of rocks underlying alluvial deposits., Broken fragments of ice. |
| brass | noun | An alloy (usually yellow) of copper and zinc, in variable proportion, but often containing two parts of copper to one part of zinc. It sometimes contains tin, and rarely other metals., A journal bearing, so called because frequently made of brass. A brass is often lined with a softer metal, when the latter is generally called a white metal lining. See Axle box, Journal Box, and Bearing., Coin made of copper, brass, or bronze., Impudence; a brazen face., Utensils, ornaments, or other articles of brass., A brass plate engraved with a figure or device. Specifically, one used as a memorial to the dead, and generally having the portrait, coat of arms, etc., Lumps of pyrites or sulphuret of iron, the color of which is near to that of brass. |
| brast | verb t. & i. | To burst., of Breste |
| brave | superl. | Bold; courageous; daring; intrepid; — opposed to cowardly; as, a brave man; a brave act., Having any sort of superiority or excellence; — especially such as in conspicuous., Making a fine show or display., A brave person; one who is daring., Specifically, an Indian warrior., A man daring beyond discretion; a bully., A challenge; a defiance; bravado., To encounter with courage and fortitude; to set at defiance; to defy; to dare., To adorn; to make fine or showy. |
| bravo | adjective | A daring villain; a bandit; one who sets law at defiance; a professional assassin or murderer., Well done! excellent! an exclamation expressive of applause. |
| brawl | verb i. | To quarrel noisily and outrageously., To complain loudly; to scold., To make a loud confused noise, as the water of a rapid stream running over stones., A noisy quarrel; loud, angry contention; a wrangle; a tumult; as, a drunken brawl. |
| brawn | noun | A muscle; flesh., Full, strong muscles, esp. of the arm or leg, muscular strength; a protuberant muscular part of the body; sometimes, the arm., The flesh of a boar; also, the salted and prepared flesh of a boar., A boar. |
| braxy | noun | A disease of sheep. The term is variously applied in different localities., A diseased sheep, or its mutton. |
| braze | verb i. | To solder with hard solder, esp. with an alloy of copper and zinc; as, to braze the seams of a copper pipe., To harden., To cover or ornament with brass. |