brace

[breys] /breɪs/
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.
  1. one of two characters { or } used to enclose words or lines to be considered together.
  2. 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.
verb (used with object), braced, bracing.
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), braced, bracing.
21.
Military. to assume a brace.
Verb phrases
22.
brace in, Nautical. to brace (the yards of a square-rigged vessel) more nearly athwartships, as for running free.
Idioms
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; cf. embrace1), in participle derivative of the noun
Related forms
overbrace, verb (used with object), overbraced, overbracing.
rebrace, verb (used with object), rebraced, rebracing.
underbrace, noun
underbrace, verb (used with object), underbraced, underbracing.
well-braced, adjective
Synonyms
1. vise. 4. stay, prop, strut. 10. See pair. 15. support, fortify, prop. 17. tauten, tense. 18. fortify.
British Dictionary definitions for brace up

brace

/breɪs/
noun
1.
a hand tool for drilling holes, with a socket to hold the drill at one end and a cranked handle by which the tool can be turned In full hand brace See also brace and bit
2.
something that steadies, binds, or holds up another thing
3.
a structural member, such as a beam or prop, used to stiffen a framework
4.
a sliding loop, usually of leather, attached to the cords of a drum: used to change its tension
5.
a pair; two, esp of game birds: a brace of partridges
6.
either of a pair of characters, { }, used for connecting lines of printing or writing or as a third sign of aggregation in complex mathematical or logical expressions that already contain parentheses and square brackets
7.
Also called accolade. a line or bracket connecting two or more staves of music
8.
(often pl) an appliance of metal bands and wires that can be tightened to maintain steady pressure on the teeth for correcting uneven alignment
9.
(med) any of various appliances for supporting the trunk, a limb, or teeth
10.
another word for bracer2
11.
(in square-rigged sailing ships) a rope that controls the movement of a yard and thus the position of a sail
12.
See braces
verb (mainly transitive)
13.
to provide, strengthen, or fit with a brace
14.
to steady or prepare (oneself or something) as before an impact
15.
(also intransitive) to stimulate; freshen; invigorate: sea air is bracing
16.
to control the horizontal movement of (the yards of a square-rigged sailing ship)
Word Origin
C14: from Old French: the two arms, from Latin bracchia arms
Word Origin and History for brace up

brace

n.

early 14c., "piece of armor for the arms," also "thong, strap for fastening," from Old French brace, braz "arms," also "length measured by two arms" (12c., Modern French bras "arm, power;" brasse "fathom, armful, breaststroke"), from Latin bracchia, plural of bracchium "an arm, a forearm," from Greek brakhion "an arm" (see brachio-). Applied to various devices for fastening and tightening on notion of clasping arms. Of dogs, "a couple, a pair" from c.1400.

v.

mid-14c., "to seize, grasp," also "wrap, enshroud; tie up, fetter," from Old French bracier "to embrace," from brace (see brace (n.)). Meaning "to render firm or steady by tensing" is mid-15c., earlier in figurative sense "strengthen or comfort" (someone), early 15c., with later extension to tonics, etc. that "brace" the nerves (cf. bracer "stiff drink"). Related: Braced; bracing.

brace up in Medicine

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.

Slang definitions & phrases for brace up

brace

noun

A very stiff and exaggerated standing at military attention (1930s+ Armed forces and service academies)

verb
  1. To stop or approach a person and beg for money: This panhandler came up to me and braced me (1890+)
  2. To confront someone with an accusation: this would be a good chance to brace Bubba's wife without her husband being present (1950s+)
  3. : The sergeant ordered her to brace
Related Terms

splice the main brace


Idioms and Phrases with brace up

brace up

Also, brace oneself. Summon up one's courage or resolve, as in Brace up, we don't have much farther to go, or Squaring his shoulders, he braced himself for the next wave. This idiom uses brace in the sense of “to bolster” or “to strengthen.” The first term dates from the early 1700s, the variant from about 1500.