What is "brake"

Brake \Brake\ (br[=a]k), imp. of Break. [Arhaic]
--Tennyson.

Brake \Brake\, n. [OE. brake fern; cf. AS. bracce fern, LG. brake willow bush, Da. bregne fern, G. brach fallow; prob. orig. the growth on rough, broken ground, fr. the root of E. break. See Break, v. t., cf. Bracken, and 2d Brake, n.]

1. (Bot.) A fern of the genus Pteris, esp. the Pteris aquilina, common in almost all countries. It has solitary stems dividing into three principal branches. Less properly: Any fern.

2. A thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with undergrowth and ferns, or with canes.

   Rounds rising hillocks, brakes obscure and rough, To shelter thee from tempest and from rain.
   --Shak.

   He stayed not for brake, and he stopped not for stone.
   --Sir W. Scott.

   Cane brake, a thicket of canes. See Canebrake.

Brake \Brake\ (br[=a]k), n. [OE. brake; cf. LG. brake an instrument for breaking flax, G. breche, fr. the root of E. break. See Break, v. t., and cf. Breach.]

1. An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.

2. An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine.

3. A baker's kneading though.
   --Johnson.

4. A sharp bit or snaffle.

   Pampered jades . . . which need nor break nor bit.
   --Gascoigne.

5. A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.

   A horse . . . which Philip had bought . . . and because of his fierceness kept him within a brake of iron bars.
   --J. Brende.

6. That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.

7. (Mil.) An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.

8. (Agric.) A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag.

9. 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.

10. (Engin.) 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.

11. A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.

12. An ancient instrument of torture. --Holinshed. Air brake. See Air brake, in the Vocabulary. Brake beam or Brake bar, the beam that connects the brake blocks of opposite wheels. Brake block.

    1. The part of a brake holding the brake shoe.

    2. A brake shoe.

       Brake shoe or Brake rubber, the part of a brake against which the wheel rubs.

       Brake wheel, a wheel on the platform or top of a car by which brakes are operated.

       Continuous brake . See under Continuous.

Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. broke (br[=o]k), (Obs. Brake); p. p. Broken (br[=o]"k'n), (Obs. Broke); p. pr. & vb. n. Breaking.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw. braka, br["a]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. Bray to pound, Breach, Fragile.]

1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.
   --Shak.

2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods.

3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.

   Katharine, break thy mind to me.
   --Shak.

4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.

   Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray.
   --Milton

5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey.

   Go, release them, Ariel; My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore.
   --Shak.

6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set.

7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares.

8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.

   The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he had solaced the hours of captivity.
   --Prescott.

9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.

10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax.

11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.

    An old man, broken with the storms of state.
    --Shak.

12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow.

    I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall.
    --Dryden.

13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend.

14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. ``To break a colt.''
    --Spenser.

    Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?
    --Shak.

15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin.

    With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
    --Dryden.

16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. I see a great officer broken. --Swift. Note: With prepositions or adverbs: To break down.

    1. To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition.

    2. To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. To break in.

       1. To force in; as, to break in a door.

       2. To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in. To break of, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit. To break off.

          1. To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig.

          2. To stop suddenly; to abandon. ``Break off thy sins by righteousness.'' --Dan. iv. 27. To break open, to open by breaking. ``Open the door, or I will break it open.'' --Shak. To break out, to take or force out by breaking; as, to break out a pane of glass. To break out a cargo, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily. To break through.

             1. To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice.

             2. To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. To break up.

                1. To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). ``Break up this capon.''
                   --Shak. ``Break up your fallow ground.''
                   --Jer. iv. 3.

                2. To dissolve; to put an end to. ``Break up the court.'' --Shak. To break (one) all up, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. [Colloq.] Note: With an immediate object: To break the back.

                   1. To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally.

                   2. To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking. To break bulk, to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. To break a code to discover a method to convert coded messages into the original understandable text. To break cover, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. To break a deer or To break a stag, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share. To break fast, to partake of food after abstinence. See Breakfast. To break ground.

                      1. To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad.

                      2. Fig.: To begin to execute any plan.

    3. (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom.

       To break the heart, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief.

       To break a house (Law), to remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it.

       To break the ice, to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject.

       To break jail, to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means.

       To break a jest, to utter a jest. ``Patroclus . . . the livelong day breaks scurril jests.''
       --Shak.

       To break joints, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course.

       To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest.

       To break the neck, to dislocate the joints of the neck.

       To break no squares, to create no trouble. [Obs.]

       To break a path, road, etc., to open a way through obstacles by force or labor.

       To break upon a wheel, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries.

       To break wind, to give vent to wind from the anus.

       Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.

mid-15c., "instrument for crushing or pounding," from Middle Dutch braeke "flax brake," from breken "to break" (see break (v.)). The word was applied to many crushing implements and to the ring through the nose of a draught ox. It was influenced in sense by Old French brac, a form of bras "an arm," thus "a lever or handle," which was being used in English from late 14c., and applied to "a bridle or curb" from early 15c. One or the other or both took up the main modern meaning of "stopping device for a wheel," first attested 1772.

kind of fern, early 14c.; see bracken.

"to apply a brake to a wheel," 1868, from brake (n.1). Earlier, "to beat flax" (late 14c.). Related: Braked; braking.

Etymology 1 n. A fern; bracken. (from 14th c.) Etymology 2

n. A thicket, or an area overgrown with briers etc. (from 15th c.) Etymology 3

n. 1 A tool used for breaking flax or hemp. (from 15th c.) 2 A type of machine for bending sheet metal. (See wikipedia:Brake (box and pan).) 3 A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after ploughing; a drag. vb. 1 (context transitive English) To bruise and crush; to knead 2 (context transitive English) To pulverise with a harrow Etymology 4

n. 1 (label en military) An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballist

1. 2 # (label en obsolete) The winch of a crossbow. (14th-19th c.) 3 (label en chiefly nautical) The handle of a pump. 4 A device used to slow or stop the motion of a wheel, or of a vehicle, by friction; also, the controls or apparatus used to engage such a mechanism such as the pedal in a car. (from 18th c.) 5 # The act of braking, of using a brake to slow down a machine or vehicle 6 # (label en engineering) 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. 7 # (label en figuratively) Something used to retard or stop some action, process etc. 8 A baker's kneading trough. 9 A device used to confine or prevent the motion of an animal. 10 # A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him. 11 # An enclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc. 12 # A cart or carriage without a body, used in break in horses.^{(w Brake (carriage) W)} 13 # A carriage for transporting shooting parties and their equipment.^{(w Shooting-brake W)} v

2. 1 (context intransitive English) To operate (a) brake(s). 2 (context intransitive English) To be stopped or slowed (as if) by braking. Etymology 5

   n. 1 (context obsolete English) A cage. (16th-17th

3. ) 2 (context now historical English) A type of torture instrument. (from 16th c.) Etymology 6

   vb. (lb en archaic) (en-simple past of: break)

1. v. stop travelling by applying a brake; "We had to brake suddenly when a chicken crossed the road"

2. cause to stop by applying the brakes; "brake the car before you go into a curve"

1. n. a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle

2. any of various ferns of the genus Pteris having pinnately compound leaves and including several popular houseplants

3. large coarse fern often several feet high; essentially weed ferns; cosmopolitan [syn: bracken, pasture brake, Pteridium aquilinum]

4. an area thickly overgrown usually with one kind of plant

A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction.

A brake is a metalworking machine that allows the bending of sheet metal. A cornice brake only allows for simple bends and creases, while a box-and-pan brake also allows one to form box and pan shapes. It is also known as a bending machine or bending brake or in Britain as a sheet metal folder or just a folder.

A brake (French: break), was a horse-drawn carriage used in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the training of horses for draft work. A shooting-brake, was a brake pressed into service to carry beaters, gamekeepers and sportsmen with their dogs, guns and game.

There were purpose-built shooting-brakes designed to carry the driver and a footman or gamekeeper at the front facing forward, and passengers on longitudinal benches, with their dogs, guns and game borne along the sides in slatted racks.

In the 19th century, a brake was a large, four-wheeled carriage-frame with no body, used for breaking in young horses, either singly or in teams of two or four. It has no body parts except for a high seat upon which the driver sits and a small platform for a helper immediately behind.

If the passenger seats were made permanent the vehicle might be described as a waggonette.

Currently the term is sometimes used for an estate car (see also shooting-brake) or station wagon. In France, the term break is synonymous with a station wagon, having been called a break de chasse, literally translated: hunting break.

A brake is a device which inhibits motion.

Brake may also refer to one of the following:

__NOTOC__

Brake is a surname of English origin and may refer to:

• Brian Brake (1927–1988), New Zealand photographer
• Colin Brake (born 1963), English television writer and script editor
• John Brake (New Zealand rugby player) (born 1952), New Zealand rugby union player and coach
• John Brake (born 1988), English rugby union player
• Patricia Brake (born 1942), English television actress
• Richard Brake, Welsh/American actor
• Tom Brake (born 1962), British politician

Brake is a charity that operates internationally from its bases in the UK and New Zealand and was established in 1995. It coordinates Road Safety Week, inviting participation worldwide, and has many supporters worldwide in communities, companies (particularly those interested in managing their road risk through operation of fleets), emergency services, schools and all other sectors of society. It also provides support services for people bereaved and injured in road crashes and the professionals who care for them, including the emergency services. Its head office is based in the UK.

Brake is an 2012 American thriller film directed by Gabe Torres, written by Timothy Mannion, and starring Stephen Dorff.

"Brake" is a science fiction short story by Poul Anderson that was first published in 1957 in Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the collections Beyond the Beyond (1969) and The Psychotechnic League (1981). As a component of the Psychotechnic League future history / alternate history, "Brake" takes place in 2270, as the civilization built up in the aftermath of the 1958 Third World War is being torn between mutually antagonistic factions, on the verge of collapsing into "the day of genocide and the night of ignorance and tyranny".

As noted by Vernon Blake, the story was written and published within two months of " Marius" and they were clearly written as companion pieces - the dawn and sunset of the same culture (later stories of this Future History would be set in the further future, when a still newer civilization would arise from the ruins of what would be called "The Second Dark Ages").

Marius and Brake are linked by various common themes - one featuring the first appearance of the maquis Stefan Rostomily, the other having the last appearance of Rostomily's cloned "sons"; in one Étienne Fourre appears for the first time, in his heroic effort to restore the shattered world, in the other the memory of Fourre is abused and his legacy is claimed by one of the militant factions busily working to shatter it again. In fact, it is Captain Banning, the story' protagonist, who is Fourre's true heir, bravely striving to preserve, for as long as possible, what Fourre and his companions had built.