What is "brace"

Brace \Brace\, n. [OF. brace, brasse, the two arms, embrace, fathom, F. brasse fathom, fr. L. bracchia the arms (stretched out), pl. of bracchium arm; cf. Gr. ?.]

1. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.

2. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension, as a cord on the side of a drum.

   The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that.
   --Derham.

3. The state of being braced or tight; tension.

   The laxness of the tympanum, when it has lost its brace or tension.
   --Holder.

4. (Arch. & Engin.) 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.

5. (Print.) 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.

6. (Naut.) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.

7. (Mech.) A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.

8. A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to persons, except familiarly or with some contempt. ``A brace of greyhounds.''
   --Shak.

   He is said to have shot . . . fifty brace of pheasants.
   --Addison.

   A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church.
   --Fuller.

   But you, my brace of lords.
   --Shak.

9. pl. Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.

   I embroidered for you a beautiful pair of braces.
   --Thackeray.

10. Harness; warlike preparation. [Obs.]

    For that it stands not in such warlike brace.
    --Shak.

11. Armor for the arm; vantbrace.

12. (Mining) The mouth of a shaft. [Cornwall]

    Angle brace. See under Angle.

Brace \Brace\, v. i. To get tone or vigor; to rouse one's energies; -- with up.

Brace \Brace\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braced; p. pr. & vb. n. Bracing.]

1. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace a beam in a building.

2. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves.

   And welcome war to brace her drums.
   --Campbell.

3. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

   The women of China, by bracing and binding them from their infancy, have very little feet.
   --Locke.

   Some who spurs had first braced on.
   --Sir W. Scott.

4. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly; as, he braced himself against the crowd.

   A sturdy lance in his right hand he braced.
   --Fairfax.

5. (Naut.) To move around by means of braces; as, to brace the yards.

   To brace about (Naut.), to turn (a yard) round for the contrary tack.

   To brace a yard (Naut.), to move it horizontally by means of a brace.

   To brace in (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by hauling in the weather brace.

   To brace one's self, to call up one's energies. ``He braced himself for an effort which he was little able to make.''
   --J. D. Forbes.

   To brace to (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by checking or easing off the lee brace, and hauling in the weather one, to assist in tacking.

   To brace up (Naut.), to bring (a yard) nearer the direction of the keel by hauling in the lee brace.

   To brace up sharp (Naut.), to turn (a yard) as far forward as the rigging will permit.

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.

mid-14c., "to seize, grasp," also "wrap, enshroud; tie up, fetter," from Old French bracier "to embrace," from brace "arms" (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 (compare bracer "stiff drink"). Related: Braced; bracing.

n. 1 (context obsolete English) Armor for the arm; vambrace. 2 (context obsolete English) A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms. 3 A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock. 4 That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop. 5 A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension. 6 A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum. 7 The state of being braced or tight; tension. 8 Harness; warlike preparation. 9 (context typography English) A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in (role, roll); in music, used to connect staves. 10 A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally and then other things, but rarely human persons. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In British use (as ''plural''), this is a particularly common reference to game birds. 11 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. 12 (context nautical English) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon. 13 (context UK Cornwall mining English) The mouth of a shaft. 14 (context mostly in the plural English) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders. 15 (context mostly in the plural English) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite. 16 (context soccer English) Two goals scored by one player in a game. vb. 1 (context transitive intransitive English) To prepare for something bad, as an impact or blow. 2 To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly. 3 (context nautical English) To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more efficient sail surface to the direction of the wind 4 To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police. 5 To confront with questions, demands or requests. 6 To furnish with braces; to support; to prop. 7 To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen. 8 To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

1. v. prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult [syn: poise]

2. support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace; "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel" [syn: steady, stabilize, stabilise]

3. support by bracing

4. cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"; "This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate" [syn: stimulate, arouse, energize, energise, perk up] [ant: de-energize, de-energize, sedate]

1. n. a support that steadies or strengthens something else; "he wore a brace on his knee"

2. two items of the same kind [syn: couple, pair, twosome, twain, span, yoke, couplet, distich, duo, duet, dyad, duad]

3. a set of two similar things considered as a unit [syn: pair]

4. either of two punctuation marks ( or ) used to enclose textual material

5. a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it

6. elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural) [syn: suspender, gallus]

7. an appliance that corrects dental irregularities [syn: braces]

8. the stock of a tool used for turning a drilling bit [syn: bitstock]

9. a structural member used to stiffen a framework [syn: bracing]

1. redirect Vambrace

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Eddy Brace Rashid MacDonald (born 23 August 1986), shortened to Brace, is a Dutch singer, who collaborates with famous Dutch rapper Ali B, who helped to bring Brace to stardom after their first musical collaboration on the hit single Moppie released in the summer of 2004.

He competed on the sixth season of the Dutch reality singing competition The Voice of Holland finishing in third place.

1. redirect 2 (number)#In_sports

In sports, a brace is a feat of succeeding at anything two times, generally in two consecutive attempts. A hat-trick is three times.

BRACE (formerly known as Brace For War) is an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. BRACE was founded in 2005 by Kya Pate. In an interview with MMA Kanvas Kya Pate detailed what it is like to be the promoter of Australian MMA.

Since 2009 BRACE has staged 33 events in 8 cities over 4 Australian States. After following the standard MMA format, in 2014 BRACE changed to an elimination tournament format based on the style of AFL, NRL, A-League soccer. 8 Fighters per division compete in knock out elimination rounds all aiming to reach an end of season Grand Final event.

BRACE Follows the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

A brace or brace and bit is a hand tool used to drill holes, usually in wood. Pressure is applied to the top and the tool is rotated with a U-shaped grip.

The U-shaped part is a kind of crankshaft. It gives the brace much greater torque than other kinds of hand drills. A brace can be used to drill much wider and deeper holes than can a gear-driven hand drill. The price of the greater torque is lower rotational speed; it is easy for a geared hand drill to achieve a rotational speed of several hundred revolutions per minute, but it requires considerable effort to achieve even 100 rpm with a brace.

The front part of the brace consists of a chuck spindle with V-shaped brackets or clamps inside. Turning the spindle of the chuck in a clockwise direction tightens the drill bit in the chuck and turning in a counter-clockwise direction loosens the bit for removal.

In most braces, immediately behind the chuck is a three position gear release which allows ratcheting of the handle when in tight spots. Turning the gear release from the center position allows ratcheting the brace in the direction needed. Turning the gear release fully clockwise lets it remove wood in a clockwise direction with the ratchet action going counter-clockwise. Placing the gear release fully counter-clockwise then allows turning the brace and bit in a counter-clockwise direction, usually to remove the drill bit from the hole. The center position of the gear release prohibits the ratcheting effect.

The U-shaped crank has a wooden spindle on it and—along with the top spindle—is allowed to freely turn under the hands without producing wear and tear on the hands (thus, no blisters).

The earliest carpenter's braces equipped with a U-shaped grip, that is with a compound crank, appeared between 1420 and 1430 in Flanders.

A brace on a square-rigged ship is a rope (line) used to rotate a yard around the mast, to allow the ship to sail at different angles to the wind. Braces are always used in pairs, one at each end of a yard (yardarm), termed port brace and starboard brace of a given yard or sail (e.g., the starboard main-brace is the brace fixed to the right end of the yard of the main sail).

The braces are fixed to the outer ends of the yards, and are led to the deck as far aft as possible, to allow the crew to haul on them. The lower yards' braces can usually run directly to the deck, but to do so with those higher up would mean that most of the force was pulling downwards rather than backwards. Instead, the braces for the upper yards run to another mast and thence to the deck. On the aftermost mast, this may mean they have to be led forwards instead of backwards. Braces from the aftermost mast that run to the very stern of the ship often pass through blocks attached to short outriggers projecting from the side of the ship in order to improve their lead. These projections are called bumkins and can be seen in the picture.

In many ways, braces are the equivalent of a modern yacht's sheets. However, where adjusting a sail on a yacht is a simple operation performed often, tacking or wearing ship using the braces usually requires the entire crew to be called to "bracing stations". This is because the braces carry heavy loads but have few blocks and hence each one needs many people hauling, and because most ships with braces have many sails and hence many such teams. For this reason, all manoeuvres require plenty of notice (one reason falling overboard is especially to be avoided from such a ship) and routine course changes may be planned well in advance for a time when as few of the crew as possible wish to be asleep.

The sails on a tall ship's mast must all be turned together, because of all the gear that runs between them. The rate of turn is set by the course, the heaviest yard and hence the most difficult to move. The teams on the other braces for that mast must watch the course and keep their own yard in line with it. The braces may be marked with leather tags or twine seizings to indicate the centre ("square") position and the two extremes, though these marks may not always be accurate due to stretch in the line.

fore mast yard brace pulley blocks and brackets beside main mast shroud ropes, blocks and attachments on James Craig (barque) sail brace(starboard) block, shown toward top of photo

In theater, a brace is a sliding piece of wood or metal with a 'butterfly' winged nut to make it longer or shorter to fit the flat used to stabilize a flat set piece such as a flat. The nut is used, so that it can be changed more quickly than a screw to the floor during a quick change. Usually, a brace is painted black to make it less noticeable to the audience. Braces are often used to form a triangle between two perpendicular items (like a vertical flat and a stage. They can also make a flat piece stronger by forming an X-shape between all four corners. Another way to brace a rectangular flat is to use special braces, called toggles which run at regular intervals, parallel to the short end of the flat, effectively breaking it into many smaller, stronger rectangles.

Category:Stage terminology Category:Scenic design

Brace is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• John Brace (MP) (born c. 1578), English Member of Parliament
• Jonathan Brace (1754–1837), United States Representative from Connecticut
• Edward Brace (1770–1843), Rear Admiral of the British Royal Navy
• Julia Brace (1807–1884), deaf and blind woman who learned tactile American Sign Language
• Charles Loring Brace (1826–1890), American philanthropist
• DeWitt Bristol Brace (1859–1905), American physicist
• William Brace (1865–1947), British Member of Parliament and Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
• Donald Brace (1881–1955), American publisher
• Gerald Warner Brace (1901–1978), American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder
• William Francis Brace (1926–2012), American geophysicist
• C. Loring Brace (born 1930), American professor of anthropology
• Ernest C. Brace (born 1931), American former soldier, POW in Vietnam
• Onllwyn Brace (1932–2013), Wales rugby union captain
• Stuart Brace (born 1942), English former footballer
• Hilary Brace (born 1956), American artist
• Steve Brace (born 1961), Welsh former long distance runner
• Robbie Brace (born 1964), English former footballer for Tottenham Hotspur
• Rick Brace, president of the CTV television network
• Deryn Brace (born 1975), Welsh former footballer
• Adam Brace (born 1980), English playwright
• Ron Brace (born 1986), American NFL player