BOOK MUSLIN Book" mus`lin. (continued 2)

1. Anciently, a chamber; a lodging room; esp., a lady's private apartment. Give me my lute in bed now as I lie, And lock the doors of mine unlucky bower. Gascoigne.

2. A rustic cottage or abode; poetically, an attractive abode or retreat. Shenstone. B. Johnson.

3. A shelter or covered place in a garden, made with boughs of trees or vines, etc., twined together; an arbor; a shady recess.

BOWER Bow"er, v. t.

Defn: To embower; to inclose. Shak.

BOWER Bow"er, v. i.

Defn: To lodge. [Obs.] Spenser.

BOWER Bow"er, n. Etym: [From Bough, cf. Brancher.] (Falconry)

Defn: A young hawk, when it begins to leave the nest. [Obs.]

BOWER-BARFF PROCESS Bow"er-Barff" proc`ess . (Metal.)

Defn: A certain process for producing upon articles of iron or steel an adherent coating of the magnetic oxide of iron (which is not liable to corrosion by air, moisture, or ordinary acids). This is accomplished by producing, by oxidation at about 1600º F. in a closed space, a coating containing more or less of the ferric oxide (Fe2O3) and the subsequent change of this in a reduced atmosphere to the magnetic oxide (Fe2O4).

BOWER BIRD Bow"er bird`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An Australian bird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus or holosericeus), allied to the starling, which constructs singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with brightcolored objects; the satin bird.

Note: The name is also applied to other related birds of the same region, having similar habits; as, the spotted bower bird (Chalmydodera maculata), and the regent bird (Sericulus melinus).

BOWERY Bow"er*y, a.

Defn: Shading, like a bower; full of bowers. A bowery maze that shades the purple streams. Trumbull.

BOWERY Bow"er*y, n.; pl. Boweries Etym: [D. bouwerij.]

Defn: A farm or plantation with its buildings. [U.S.Hist.] The emigrants [in New York] were scattered on boweries or plantations; and seeing the evils of this mode of living widely apart, they were advised, in 1643 and 1646, by the Dutch authorities, to gather into "villages, towns, and hamlets, as the English were in the habit of doing." Bancroft.

BOWERY Bow"er*y, a.

Defn: Characteristic of the street called the Bowery, in New York city; swaggering; flashy.

BOWESS Bow"ess, n. (Falconry)

Defn: Same as Bower. [Obs.]

BOWFIN Bow"fin`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A voracious ganoid fish (Amia calva) found in the fresh waters of the United States; the mudfish; — called also Johnny Grindle, and dogfish.

BOWGE Bowge, v. i.

Defn: To swell out. See Bouge. [Obs.]

BOWGE Bowge, v. t.

Defn: To cause to leak. [Obs.] See Bouge.

BOWGRACE Bow"grace`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A frame or fender of rope or junk, laid out at the sides or bows of a vessel to secure it from injury by floating ice.

BOW HAND Bow" hand`.

1. (Archery)

Defn: The hand that holds the bow, i. e., the left hand. Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand. Spenser.

2. (Mus.)

Defn: The hand that draws the bow, i. e., the right hand.

BOWHEAD Bow"head`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The great Arctic or Greenland whale. (Balæna mysticetus). See Baleen, and Whale.

BOWIE KNIFE Bow"ie knife`.

Defn: A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen inches long, and double-edged near the point; — used as a hunting knife, and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the United States. It was named from its inventor, Colonel James Bowie. Also, by extension, any large sheath knife.

BOWING Bow"ing, n. (Mus.)

1. The act or art of managing the bow in playing on stringed instruments. Bowing constitutes a principal part of the art of the violinist, the violist, etc. J. W. Moore.

2. In hatmaking, the act or process of separating and distributing the fur or hair by means of a bow, to prepare it for felting.

BOWINGLY Bow"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a bending manner.

BOWKNOT Bow"knot`, n.

Defn: A knot in which a portion of the string is drawn through in the form of a loop or bow, so as to be readily untied.

BOWL Bowl, n. Etym: [OE. bolle, AS. bolla; akin to Icel. bolli, Dan. bolle, G. bolle, and perh. to E. boil a tumor. Cf. Boll.]

1. A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemisherical), to hold liquids, etc. Brought them food in bowls of basswood. Longfellow.

2. Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convival drinking.

3. The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold.

4. The bollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.

BOWL Bowl, n. Etym: [F. boule, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud. Cf. Bull an edict, Bill a writing.]

1. A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the other, so as to give it a bias when rolled.

2. pl.

Defn: An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased balls on a level plat of greensward. Like an uninstructed bowler, . . . who thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straightforward upon it. Sir W. Scott.

3. pl.

Defn: The game of tenpins or bowling. [U.S.]

BOWL Bowl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowled; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowling.]

1. To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball. Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel, And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven. Shak.

2. To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled rapidly along the road.

3. To pelt or strike with anything rolled. Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth, And bowled to death with turnipsShak. To bowl (a player) out, in cricket, to put out a striker by knocking down a bail or a stump in bowling.

BOWL Bowl, v. i.

1. To play with bowls.

2. To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc.

3. To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled along.

BOWLDER; BOULDER Bowl"der, Boul"der, n. Etym: [Cf. Sw. bullra to roar, rattle, Dan. buldre, dial. Sw. bullersteen larger kind of pebbles; perh. akin to E. bellow.]

1. A large stone, worn smooth or rounded by the action of water; a large pebble.

2. (Geol.)

Defn: A mass of any rock, whether rounded or not, that has been transported by natural agencies from its native bed. See Drift. Bowlder clay, the unstratified clay deposit of the Glacial or Drift epoch, often containing large numbers of bowlders. — Bowlder wall, a wall constructed of large stones or bowlders.

BOWLDERY Bowl"der*y, a.

Defn: Characterized by bowlders.

BOWLEG Bow"leg`, n.

Defn: A crooked leg. Jer. Taylor.

BOW-LEGGED Bow"-legged`, a.

Defn: Having crooked legs, esp. with the knees bent outward. Johnson.

BOWLER Bowl"er, n.

Defn: One who plays at bowls, or who rolls the ball in cricket or any other game.

BOWLESS Bow"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of a bow.

BOWLINE Bow"line, n. Etym: [Cf. D. boelijn, Icel. böglïnabovline; properly the line attached to the shoulder or side of the sail. See Bow (of a ship), and Line.] (Naut.)

Defn: A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes, called bridles, and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight forward, when the ship is closehauled. Bowline bridles, the ropes by which the bowline is fastened to the leech of the sail. — Bowline knot. See Illust. under Knot. — On a bowline, close-hauled or sailing close to the wind; — said of a ship.

BOWLING Bowl"ing, n.

Defn: The act of playing at or rolling bowls, or of rolling the ball at cricket; the game of bowls or of tenpins. Bowling alley, a covered place for playing at bowls or tenpins. — Bowling green, a level piece of greensward or smooth ground for bowling, as the small park in lower Broadway, New York, where the Dutch of New Amsterdam played this game.

BOWLS Bowls, n. pl.

Defn: See Bowl, a ball, a game.

BOWMAN Bow"man, n.; pl. Bowmen (.

Defn: A man who uses a bow; an archer. The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. Jer. iv. 29. Bowman's root. (Bot.) See Indian physic, under Indian.

BOWMAN Bow"man, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The man who rows the foremost oar in a boat; the bow oar.

BOWNE Bowne, v. t. Etym: [See Boun.]

Defn: To make ready; to prepare; to dress. [Obs.] We will all bowne ourselves for the banquet. Sir W. Scott.

BOW NET Bow" net`

Defn: .

1. A trap for lobsters, being a wickerwork cylinder with a funnel- shaped entrance at one end.

2. A net for catching birds. J. H. Walsh.

BOW OAR Bow" oar`

Defn: .

1. The oar used by the bowman.

2. One who rows at the bow of a boat.

BOW-PEN Bow"-pen`, n.

Defn: Bow-compasses carrying a drawing pen. See Bow-compass.

BOW-PENCIL Bow"-pen`cil, n.

Defn: Bow-compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil.

BOW-SAW Bow"-saw`, n.

Defn: A saw with a thin or narrow blade set in a strong frame.

BOWSE Bowse, v. i. Etym: [See Booze, and Bouse.]

1. To carouse; to bouse; to booze. De Quincey.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To pull or haul; as, to bowse upon a tack; to bowse away, i. e., to pull all together.

BOWSE Bowse, n.

Defn: A carouse; a drinking bout; a booze.

BOWSHOT Bow"shot`, n.

Defn: The distance traversed by an arrow shot from a bow.

BOWSPRIT Bow"sprit`, n. Etym: [Bow + sprit; akin to D.boegspriet; boeg bow of a ship + spriet, E. sprit, also Sw. bogspröt, G. bugspriet.] (Naut.)

Defn: A large boom or spar, which projects over the stem of a ship or other vessel, to carry sail forward.

BOWSSEN Bows"sen, v. t.

Defn: To drench; to soak; especially, to immerse (in water believed to have curative properties). [Obs.] There were many bowssening places, for curing of mad men. . . . If there appeared small amendment he was bowssened again and again. Carew.

BOWSTRING Bow"string`, n.

1. The string of a bow.

2. A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders. Bowstring bridge, a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of the arch. — Bowstring girder, an arched beam strengthened by a tie connecting its two ends. — Bowstring hemp (Bot.), the tenacious fiber of the Sanseviera Zeylanica, growing in India and Africa, from which bowstrings are made. Balfour.

BOWSTRING Bow"string`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowstringed ( or Bowstrung (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bowstringing.]

Defn: To strangle with a bowstring.

BOWSTRINGED Bow"stringed`, p.a.

1. Furnished with bowstring.

2. Put to death with a bowstring; strangled.

BOWTEL Bow"tel, n.

Defn: See Boultel.

BOWWOW Bow"wow`, n.

Defn: An onomatopoetic name for a dog or its bark. — a.

Defn: Onomatopoetic; as, the bowwow theory of language; a bowwow word. [Jocose.]

BOWYER Bow"yer, n. Etym: [From Bow, like lawyer from law.]

1. An archer; one who uses bow.

2. One who makes or sells bows.

BOX Box, n. Etym: [As. box, L. buxus, fr. Gr. Box a case.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tree or shrub, flourishing in different parts of the world. The common box (Buxus sempervirens) has two varieties, one of which, the dwaft box (B.suffruticosa), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, etc. Box elder, the ash-leaved maple (Negundo aceroides), of North America. — Box holly, the butcher's broom (Russus aculeatus). — Box thorn, a shrub (Lycium barbarum). — Box tree, the tree variety of the common box.

BOX Box, n.; pl. Boxes ( Etym: [As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. büchse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a tree, Bushel.]

1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes.

2. The quantity that a box contain.

3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement. Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage. Dorset. The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges. Dryden.

4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box. Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks, Damning the poor, his tripple-bolted box. J. Warton.

5. A small country house. "A shooting box." Wilson. Tight boxes neatly sashed. Cowper.

6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box.

7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing. (b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump.

8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach.

9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. "A Christmas box." Dickens.

10. (Baseball)

Defn: The square in which the pitcher stands.

11. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue.

Note: Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox. Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box. — Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. — Box chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position. — Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. — Box coupling, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. — Box crab (Zoöl.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box. — Box drain (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. — Box girder (Arch.), a box beam. — Box groove (Metal Working), a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another. R. W. Raymond. — Box metal, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc. — Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the rigth and the left. — Box turtle or Box tortoise (Zoöl.), a land tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys; — so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person. Emerson. — In a box, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) — In the wrong box, out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.) Ridley (1554)

BOX Box, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boxed (p. pr. & vb. n. Boxing.]

1. To inclose in a box.

2. To furnish with boxes, as a wheel.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: To inclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to bring to a required form. To box a tree, to make an incision or hole in a tree for the purpose of procuring the sap. — To box off, to divide into tight compartments. — To box up. (a) To put into a box in order to save; as, he had boxed up twelve score pounds. (b) To confine; as, to be boxed up in narrow quarters.

BOX Box, n. Etym: [Cf.Dan. baske to slap, bask slap, blow. Cf. Pash.]

Defn: A blow on the head or ear with the hand. A good-humored box on the ear. W. Irving.

BOX Box, v. i.

Defn: To fight with the fist; to combat with, or as with, the hand or fist; to spar.

BOX Box, v. t.

Defn: To strike with the hand or fist, especially to strike on the ear, or on the side of the head.

BOX Box, v. t. Etym: [Cf.Sp. boxar, now spelt bojar.]

Defn: To boxhaul. To box off (Naut.), to turn the head of a vessel either way by bracing the headyards aback. — To box the compass (Naut.), to name the thirty-two points of the compass in their order.

BOXBERRY Box"ber`ry, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The wintergreern. (Gaultheria procumbens). [Local, U.S.]

BOXEN Box"en, a.

Defn: Made of boxwood; pertaining to, or resembling, the box (Buxus). [R.] The faded hue of sapless boxen leaves. Dryden.

BOXER Box"er, n.

Defn: One who packs boxes.

BOXER Box"er, n.

Defn: One who boxes; a pugilist.

BOXFISH Box"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The trunkfish.

BOXHAUL Box"haul`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boxhauled.] (Naut.)

Defn: To put (a vessel) on the other tack by veering her short round on her heel; — so called from the circumstance of bracing the head yards abox (i. e., sharp aback, on the wind). Totten.

BOXHAULING Box"haul`ing, n. (Naut.)

Defn: A method of going from one tack to another. See Boxhaul.

BOXING Box"ing, n.

1. The act of inclosing (anything) in a box, as for storage or transportation.

2. Material used in making boxes or casings.

3. Any boxlike inclosure or recess; a casing.

4. (Arch.)

Defn: The external case of thin material used to bring any member to a required form.

BOXING Box"ing, n.

Defn: The act of fighting with the fist; a combat with the fist; sparring. Blackstone. Boxing glove, a large padded mitten or glove used in sparring for exercise or amusement.

BOXING DAY Box"ing day`.

Defn: The first week day after Christmas, a legal holiday on which Christmas boxes are given to postmen, errand boys, employees, etc. The night of this day is boxing night. [Eng.]

BOX-IRON Box"-i`ron, n.

Defn: A hollow smoothing iron containing a heater within.

BOXKEEPER Box"keep`er, n.

Defn: An attendant at a theater who has charge of the boxes.

BOX KITE Box kite.

Defn: A kite, invented by Lawrence Hargrave, of Sydney, Australia, which consist of two light rectangular boxes, or cells open on two sides, and fastened together horizontally. Called also Hargrave, or cellular, kite.

BOX TAIL Box tail. (Aëronautics)

Defn: In a flying machine, a tail or rudder, usually fixed, resembling a box kite.

BOXTHORN Box"thorn`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the genus Lycium, esp. Lycium barbarum.

BOXWOOD Box"wood`, n.

Defn: The wood of the box (Buxus).

BOY Boy, n. Etym: [Cf. D. boef, Fries. boi, boy; akin to G. bube, Icel. bofi rouge.]

Defn: A male child, from birth to the age of puberty; a lad; hence, a son. My only boy fell by the side of great Dundee. Sir W. Scott.

Note: Boy is often used as a term of comradeship, as in college, or in the army or navy. In the plural used colloquially of members of an assosiaton, fraternity, or party. Boy bishop, a boy (usually a chorister) elected bishop, in old Christian sports, and invested with robes and other insignia. He practiced a kind of mimicry of the ceremonies in which the bishop usually officiated. The Old Boy, the Devil. [Slang] — Yellow boys, guineas. [Slang, Eng.] — Boy's love, a popular English name of Southernwood (Artemisia abrotonum);) — called also lad's love. — Boy's play, childish amusements; anything trifling.

BOY Boy, v. t.

Defn: To act as a boy; — in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the stage. I shall see Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness. Shak.

BOYAR; BOYARD Bo*yar", Bo*yard", n. Etym: [Russ. boiárin'.]

Defn: A member of a Russian aristocratic order abolished by Peter the Great. Also, one of a privileged class in Roumania.

Note: English writers sometimes call Russian landed proprietors boyars.

BOYAU Boy"au, n.; pl. Boyaux or Boyaus. Etym: [F. boyau gut, a long and narrow place, and (of trenches) a branch. See Bowel.] (Fort.)

Defn: A winding or zigzag trench forming a path or communication from one siegework to another, to a magazine, etc.

BOYCOTT Boy"cott`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boycotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Boycotting.] Etym: [From Captain Boycott, a land agent in Mayo, Ireland, so treated in 1880.]

Defn: To combine against (a landlord, tradesman, employer, or other person), to withhold social or business relations from him, and to deter others from holding such relations; to subject to a boycott.

BOYCOTT Boy"cott, n.

Defn: The process, fact, or pressure of boycotting; a combining to withhold or prevent dealing or social intercourse with a tradesman, employer, etc.; social and business interdiction for the purpose of coercion.

BOYCOTTER Boy"cott`er, n.

Defn: A participant in boycotting.

BOYCOTTISM Boy"cott*ism, n.

Defn: Methods of boycotters.

BOYDEKIN Boy"de*kin, n.

Defn: A dagger; a bodkin. [Obs.]

BOYER Boy"er, n. Etym: [D. boeijer; — so called because these vessels were employed for laying the boeijen, or buoys: cf. F. boyer. See Buoy.] (Naut.)

Defn: A Flemish sloop with a castle at each end. Sir W. Raleigh.

BOYHOOD Boy"hood, n. Etym: [Boy + -hood.]

Defn: The state of being a boy; the time during which one is a boy. Hood.

BOYISH Boy"ish, a.

Defn: Resembling a boy in a manners or opinions; belonging to a boy; childish; trifling; puerile. A boyish, odd conceit. Baillie.

BOYISHLY Boy"ish*ly, adv.

Defn: In a boyish manner; like a boy.

BOYISHNESS Boy"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The manners or behavior of a boy.

BOYISM Boy"ism, n.

1. Boyhood. [Obs.] T. Warton.

2. The nature of a boy; childishness. Dryden.

BOYLE'S LAW Boyle's" law`.

Defn: See under Law.

BOY SCOUT Boy scout.

Defn: Orig., a member of the "Boy Scouts," an organization of boys founded in 1908, by Sir R. S. S. Baden-Powell, to promote good citizenship by creating in them a spirit of civic duty and of usefulness to others, by stimulating their interest in wholesome mental, moral, industrial, and physical activities, etc. Hence, a member of any of the other similar organizations, which are now worldwide. In "The Boy Scouts of America" the local councils are generally under a scout commissioner, under whose supervision are scout masters, each in charge of a troop of two or more patrols of eight scouts each, who are of three classes, tenderfoot, second-class scout, and first-class scout.

BOZA Bo"za, n. Etym: [See Bosa.]

Defn: An acidulated fermented drink of the Arabs and Egyptians, made from millet seed and various astringent substances; also, an intoxicating beverage made from hemp seed, darnel meal, and water. [Written also bosa, bozah, bouza.]

BRABANTINE Bra*bant"ine, a.

Defn: Pertaining to Brabant, an ancient province of the Netherlands.

BRABBLE Brab"ble, v. i. Etym: [D. brabbelen to talk confusedly. Blab, Babble.]

Defn: To clamor; to contest noisily. [R.]

BRABBLE Brab"ble, n.

Defn: A broil; a noisy contest; a wrangle. This petty brabble will undo us all. Shak.

BRABBLEMENT Brab"ble*ment, n.

Defn: A brabble. [R.] Holland.

BRABBLER Brab"bler, n.

Defn: A clamorous, quarrelsome, noisy fellow; a wrangler. [R] Shak.

BRACCATE Brac"cate, a.Etym: [L. bracatus wearing breeches, fr. bracae breeches.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Furnished with feathers which conceal the feet.

BRACE Brace, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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)

Defn: The mouth of a shaft. [Cornwall] Angle brace. See under Angle.

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.)

Defn: 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.

BRACE Brace, v. i.

Defn: To get tone or vigor; to rouse one's energies; -with up. [Colloq.]

BRACELET Brace"let, n. Etym: [F. bracelet, dim. of OF. bracel armlet, prop. little arm, dim. of bras arm, fr. L. bracchium. See Brace,n.]

1. An ornamental band or ring, for the wrist or the arm; in modern times, an ornament encircling the wrist, worn by women or girls.

2. A piece of defensive armor for the arm. Johnson.

BRACER Bra"cer, n.

1. That which braces, binds, or makes firm; a band or bandage.

2. A covering to protect the arm of the bowman from the vibration of the string; also, a brassart. Chaucer.

3. A medicine, as an astringent or a tonic, which gives tension or tone to any part of the body. Johnson.

BRACH Brach, n. Etym: [OE. brache a kind of scenting hound or setting dog, OF. brache, braque, fr. OHG. braccho, G. bracke; possibly akin to E. fragrant, fr. L. fragrare to smell.]

Defn: A bitch of the hound kind. Shak.

BRACHELYTRA Brach*el"y*tra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. ( (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of beetles having short elytra, as the rove beetles.

BRACHIA Brach"i*a, n. pl.

Defn: See Brachium.

BRACHIAL Brach"i*al or (, a. Etym: [L. brachialis (bracch-), from bracchium (bracch-) arm: cf. F. brachial.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining or belonging to the arm; as, the brachial artery; the brachial nerve.

2. Of the nature of an arm; resembling an arm.

BRACHIATA Brach`i*a"ta, n. pl. Etym: [See Brachiate.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of the Crinoidea, including those furnished with long jointed arms. See Crinoidea.

BRACHIATE Brach"i*ate, a. Etym: [L. brachiatus (bracch-) with boughs or branches like arms, from brackium (bracch-) arm.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having branches in pairs, decussated, all nearly horizontal, and each pair at right angles with the next, as in the maple and lilac.

BRACHIOGANOID Brach`i*og"a*noid, n.

Defn: One of the Brachioganoidei.

BRACHIOGANOIDEI Brach`i*o*ga*noid"e*i, n. pl.Etym: [NL., from L. brachium (bracch-) arm + NL. ganoidei.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example. See Crossopterygii.

BRACHIOLARIA Brach`i*o*la"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. brachiolum (bracch-), dim. of brachium (bracch-) arm.]

Defn: (Zoöl.) A peculiar early larval stage of certain starfishes, having a bilateral structure, and swimming by means of bands of vibrating cilia.

BRACHIOPOD Brach"i*o*pod, n. Etym: [Cf.F. brachiopode.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Brachiopoda, or its shell.

BRACHIOPODA Brach`i*op"o*da, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A class of Molluscoidea having a symmetrical bivalve shell, often attached by a fleshy peduncle.

Note: Within the shell is a pair of "arms," often long and spirally coiled, bearing rows of ciliated tentacles by which a current of water is made to flow into the mantle cavity, bringing the microscopic food to the mouth between the bases of the arms. The shell is both opened and closed by special muscles. They form two orders; Lyopoma, in which the shell is thin, and without a distinct hinge, as in Lingula; and Arthropoma, in which the firm calcareous shell has a regular hinge, as in Rhynchonella. See Arthropomata.

BRACHIUM Brach"i*um, n.; pl. Bracchia (. Etym: [L. brachium or bracchium, arm.] (Anat.)

Defn: The upper arm; the segment of the fore limb between the shoulder and the elbow.

BRACHMAN Brach"man, n. Etym: [L. Brachmanae, pl., Gr.

Defn: See Brahman. [Obs.]

BRACHYCATALECTIC Brach`y*cat`a*lec"tic, n. Etym: [Gr. (Gr.& Last. Pros.)

Defn: A verse wanting two syllables at its termination.

BRACHYCEPHALIC; BRACHYCEPHALOUS Brach`y*ce*phal"ic, Brach`y*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Having the skull short in proportion to its breadth; shortheaded; — in distinction from dolichocephalic.

BRACHYCEPHALY; BRACHYCEPHALISM Brach`y*ceph"a*ly, Brach`y*ceph"a*lism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. Brachycéphalie] . (Anat.)

Defn: The state or condition of being brachycephalic; shortness of head.

BRACHYCERAL Bra*chyc"er*al, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having short antennæ, as certain insects.

BRACHYDIAGONAL Brach`y*di*ag"o*nal, a. Etym: [Gr. diagonal.]

Defn: Pertaining to the shorter diagonal, as of a rhombic prism. Brachydiagonal axis, the shorter lateral axis of an orthorhombic crystal.

BRACHYDIAGONAL Brach`y*di*ag"o*nal, n.

Defn: The shorter of the diagonals in a rhombic prism.

BRACHYDOME Brach`y*dome, n. Etym: [Gr. dome.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: A dome parallel to the shorter lateral axis. See Dome.

BRACHYGRAPHER Bra*chyg"ra*pher, n.

Defn: A writer in short hand; a stenographer. He asked the brachygrapher whether he wrote the notes of the sermon. Gayton.

BRACHYGRAPHY Bra*chyg"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. -graphy: cf. F. brachygraphie.]

Defn: Stenograhy. B. Jonson.

BRACHYLOGY Bra*chyl"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. brachylogie.] (Rhet.)

Defn: Conciseness of expression; brevity.

BRACHYPINACOID Brach`y*pin"a*coid, n. Etym: [Gr. pinacoid.] (Crytallog.)

Defn: A plane of an orthorhombic crystal which is parallel both to the vertical axis and to the shorter lateral (brachydiagonal) axis.

BRACHYPTERA Bra*chyp"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Coleoptera having short wings; the rove beetles.

BRACHYPTERES Bra*chyp"te*res, n.pl. Etym: [NL. See Brachyptera. ] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of birds, including auks, divers, and penguins.

BRACHYPTEROUS Bra*chyp"ter*ous, a. Etym: [Gr. brachyptère.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having short wings.

BRACHYSTOCHRONE Bra*chys"to*chrone, n. Etym: [Incorrect for brachistochrone, fr. Gr. brachistochrone. ] (Math.)

Defn: A curve, in which a body, starting from a given point, and descending solely by the force of gravity, will reach another given point in a shorter time than it could by any other path. This curve of quickest descent, as it is sometimes called, is, in a vacuum, the same as the cycloid.

BRACHYTYPOUS Brach"y*ty`pous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: Of a short form.

BRACHYURA Brach`y*u"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of decapod Crustacea, including the common crabs, characterized by a small and short abdomen, which is bent up beneath the large cephalo-thorax. [Also spelt Brachyoura.] See Crab, and Illustration in Appendix.

BRACHYURAL; BRACHYUROUS Brach`y*u"ral, Brach`y*u"rous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. brachyure.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Brachyura.

BRACHYURAN Brach`y*u"ran, n.

Defn: One of the Brachyura.

BRACING Bra"cing, a.

Defn: Imparting strength or tone; strengthening; invigorating; as, a bracing north wind.

BRACING Bra"cing, n.

1. The act of strengthening, supporting, or propping, with a brace or braces; the state of being braced.

2. (Engin.)

Defn: Any system of braces; braces, collectively; as, the bracing of a truss.

BRACK Brack, n. Etym: [Cf.D. braak, Dan. bræk, a breaking, Sw. & Isel. brak a crackling, creaking. Cf. Breach.]

Defn: An opening caused by the parting of any solid body; a crack or breach; a flaw. Stain or brack in her sweet reputation. J. Fletcher.

BRACK Brack, n. Etym: [D. brak, adj., salt; cf. LG. wrak refuse, G. brack.]

Defn: Salt or brackish water. [Obs.] Drayton.

BRACKEN Brack"en, n. Etym: [OE. braken, AS. bracce. See 2d Brake, n.]

Defn: A brake or fern. Sir W. Scott.

BRACKET Brack"et, n. Etym: [Cf.OF. braguette codpiece, F. brayette, Sp. bragueta, also a projecting mold in architecture; dim. fr.L. bracae breeches; cf. also, OF. bracon beam, prop, support; of unknown origin. Cf. Breeches.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: An architectural member, plain or ornamental, projecting from a wall or pier, to support weight falling outside of the same; also, a decorative feature seeming to discharge such an office.

Note: This is the more general word. See Brace, Cantalever, Console, Corbel, Strut.

2. (Engin. & Mech.)

Defn: A piece or combination of pieces, usually triangular in general shape, projecting from, or fastened to, a wall, or other surface, to support heavy bodies or to strengthen angles.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A shot, crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support.

4. (Mil.)

Defn: The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage.

5. (Print.)

Defn: One of two characters [], used to inclose a reference, explanation, or note, or a part to be excluded from a sentence, to indicate an interpolation, to rectify a mistake, or to supply an omission, and for certain other purposes; — called also crotchet.

6. A gas fixture or lamp holder projecting from the face of a wall, column, or the like. Bracket light, a gas fixture or a lamp attached to a wall, column, etc.

BRACKET Brack"et, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bracketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bracketing]

Defn: To place within brackets; to connect by brackets; to furnish with brackets.

BRACKETING Brack"et*ing, n. (Arch.)

Defn: A series or group of brackets; brackets, collectively.

BRACKISH Brack"ish, a. Etym: [See Brack salt water.]

Defn: Saltish, or salt in a moderate degree, as water in saline soil. Springs in deserts found seem sweet, all brackish though they be. Byron.

BRACKISHNESS Brack"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being brackish, or somewhat salt.

BRACKY Brack"y, a.

Defn: Brackish. Drayton.

BRACT Bract, n. Etym: [See Bractea.] (Bot.) (a) A leaf, usually smaller than the true leaves of a plant, from the axil of which a flower stalk arises. (b) Any modified leaf, or scale, on a flower stalk or at the base of a flower.

Note: Bracts are often inconspicuous, but sometimes large and showy, or highly colored, as in many cactaceous plants. The spathes of aroid plants are conspicuous forms of bracts.

BRACTEA Brac"te*a, n. Etym: [L., a thin plate of metal or wood, gold foil.] (Bot.)

Defn: A bract.

BRACTEAL Brac"te*al, a. Etym: [Cf.F. bractéal.]

Defn: Having the nature or appearance of a bract.

BRACTEATE Brac"te*ate, a. Etym: [Cf.L. bracteatus covered with gold plate.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having a bract or bracts.

BRACTED Bract"ed, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Furnished with bracts.

BRACTEOLATE Brac"te*o*late, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Furnished with bracteoles or bractlets.

BRACTEOLE Brac"te*ole, n. Etym: [L. bracteola, dim. of bractea. See Bractea.] (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Bractlet.

BRACTLESS Bract"less, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Destitute of bracts.

BRACTLET Bract"let, n. Etym: [Bract + -let] (Bot.)

Defn: A bract on the stalk of a single flower, which is itself on a main stalk that support several flowers. Gray.

BRAD Brad, n. Etym: [Cf.OE. brod, Dan. braad prick, sting, brodde ice spur, frost nail, Sw. brodd frost nail, Icel. broddr any pointed piece of iron or stell; akin to AS. brord point, spire of grass, and perh. to E. bristle. See Bristle, n.]

Defn: A thin nail, usually small, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head; also, a small wire nail, with a flat circular head; sometimes, a small, tapering, square-bodied finishing nail, with a countersunk head.

BRAD AWL Brad" awl`.

Defn: A straight awl with chisel edge, used to make holes for brads, etc. Weale.

BRADOON Bra*doon", n.

Defn: Same as Bridoon.

BRAE Brae, n. Etym: [See Bray a hill.]

Defn: A hillside; a slope; a bank; a hill. [Scot.] Burns.

BRAG Brag, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bragged; p. pr. & vb. n. Bragging.] Etym: [OE. braggen to resound, blow, boast (cf. F. braguer to lead a merry life, flaunt, boast, OF. brague merriment), from Icel. braka to creak, brak noise, fr. the same root as E. break; properly then, to make a noise, boast. 95.]

Defn: To talk about one's self, or things pertaining to one's self, in a manner intended to excite admiration, envy, or wonder; to talk boastfully; to boast; — often followed by of; as, to brag of one's exploits, courage, or money, or of the great things one intends to do. Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, Brags of his substance, not of ornament. Shak.

Syn. — To swagger; boast; vapor; bluster; vaunt; flourish; talk big.

BRAG Brag, v. t.

Defn: To boast of. [Obs.] Shak.

BRAG Brag, n.

1. A boast or boasting; bragging; ostentatious pretense or self glorification. Cæsar . . . made not here his brag Of "came," and "saw," and "overcame." Shak.

2. The thing which is boasted of. Beauty is Nature's brag. Milton.

3. A game at cards similar to bluff. Chesterfield.

BRAG Brag, a. Etym: [See Brag, v. i.]

Defn: Brisk; full of spirits; boasting; pretentious; conceited. [Arhaic] A brag young fellow. B. Jonson.

BRAG Brag, adv.

Defn: Proudly; boastfully. [Obs.] Fuller.

BRAGGADOCIO Brag`ga*do"cio, n. Etym: [From Braggadocchio, a boastful character in Spenser's "Faërie Queene."]

1. A braggart; a boaster; a swaggerer. Dryden.

2. Empty boasting; mere brag; pretension.

BRAGGARDISM Brag"gard*ism, n. Etym: [See Braggart.]

Defn: Boastfulness; act of bragging. Shak.

BRAGGART Brag"gart, n. Etym: [OF. bragard flaunting, vain, bragging. See Brag, v. i.]

Defn: A boaster. O, I could play the woman with mine eyes, And braggart with my tongue. Shak.

BRAGGART Brag"gart, a.

Defn: Boastful. — Brag"gart*ly, adv.

BRAGGER Brag"ger, n.

Defn: One who brags; a boaster.

BRAGGET Brag"get, n. Etym: [OE. braket, bragot, fr. W. bragawd, bragod, fr. brag malt.]

Defn: A liquor made of ale and honey fermented, with spices, etc. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BRAGGINGLY Brag"ging`ly, adv.

Defn: Boastingly.

BRAGLESS Brag"less, a.

Defn: Without bragging. [R.] Shak.

BRAGLY Brag"ly, adv.

Defn: In a manner to be bragged of; finely; proudly. [Obs.] Spenser.

BRAHMA Brah"ma, n. Etym: [See Brahman.]

1. (Hindoo Myth.)

Defn: The One First Cause; also, one of the triad of Hindoo gods. The triad consists of Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the Destroyer.

Note: According to the Hindoo religious books, Brahma (with the final a short), or Brahm, is the Divine Essence, the One First Cause, the All in All, while the personal gods, Brahmá (with the final a long), Vishnu, and Siva, are emanations or manifestations of Brahma the Divine Essence.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A valuable variety of large, domestic fowl, peculiar in having the comb divided lengthwise into three parts, and the legs well feathered. There are two breeds, the dark or penciled, and the light; — called also Brahmapootra.

BRAHMAN; BRAHMIN Brah"man, Brah"min, n.; pl. Brahmans, Brahmins. Etym: [Skr. Brahmana (cf. Brahman worship, holiness; the God Brahma, also Brahman): cf. F. Brahmane, Brachmane, Bramine, L. Brachmanae, -manes, -mani, pl., Gr.

Defn: A person of the highest or sacerdotal caste among the Hindoos. Brahman bull (Zoöl.), the male of a variety of the zebu, or Indian ox, considered sacred by the Hindoos.

BRAHMANESS Brah"man*ess, n.

Defn: A Brahmani.

BRAHMANI Brah"man*i, n. Etym: [Fem. of Brahman.]

Defn: Any Brahman woman. [Written also Brahmanee.]

BRAHMANIC; BRAHMANICAL; BRAHMAN-ICAL; BRAHMINIC; BRAHMINICAL; BRAHMIN-ICAL Brah*man"ic, -ic*al , Brah*min"ic (, *ic*al (, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Brahmans or to their doctrines and worship.

BRAHMANISM; BRAHMINISM Brah"man*ism, Brah"min*ism, n.

Defn: The religion or system of doctrines of the Brahmans; the religion of Brahma.

BRAHMANIST; BRAHMINIST Brah"man*ist, Brah"min*ist, n.

Defn: An adherent of the religion of the Brahmans.

BRAHMOISM Brah"mo*ism, n.

Defn: The religious system of Brahmo-somaj. Balfour.

BRAHMO-SOMAJ Brah`mo-so*maj", n. Etym: [Bengalese, a wor

Defn: A modern reforming theistic sect among the Hindos. [Written also Brahma-samaj.]

BRAID Braid, v. t. [imp. &. p. p. Braided; p. pr. & vb. n. Braiding.] Etym: [OE. braiden, breiden, to pull, reach, braid, AS. bregdan to move to and fro, to weave; akin. to Icel. breg, D. breiden to knit, OS. bregdan to weave, OHG. brettan to brandish. Cf. Broid.]

1. To weave, interlace, or entwine together, as three or more strands or threads; to form into a braid; to plait. Braid your locks with rosy twine. Milton.

2. To mingle, or to bring to a uniformly soft consistence, by beating, rubbing, or straining, as in some culinary operations.

3. To reproach. [Obs.] See Upbraid. Shak.

BRAID Braid, n.

1. A plait, band, or narrow fabric formed by intertwining or weaving together different strands. A braid of hair composed of two different colors twined together. Scott.

2. A narrow fabric, as of wool, silk, or linen, used for binding, trimming, or ornamenting dresses, etc.

BRAID Braid, n. Etym: [Cf.Icel. breg to move quickly.]

1. A quick motion; a start. [Obs.] Sackville.

2. A fancy; freak; caprice. [Obs.] R. Hyrde.

BRAID Braid v. i.

Defn: To start; to awake. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BRAID Braid, a. Etym: [AS. bræd, bred, deceit; akin to Icel. brag trick, AS. bredan, bregdan, to braid, knit, (hence) to knit a net, to draw into a net, i.e., to deceive. See Braid, v. t.]

Defn: Deceitful. [Obs.] Since Frenchmen are so braid, Marry that will, I live and die a maid. Shak.

BRAIDING Braid"ing, n.

1. The act of making or using braids.

2. Braids, collectively; trimming. A gentleman enveloped in mustachios, whiskers, fur collars, and braiding. Thackeray.

BRAIL Brail, n. Etym: [OE. brayle furling rope, OF. braiol a band placed around the breeches, fr.F. braies, pl., breeches, fr.L. braca, bracae, breeches, a Gallic word; cf. Arm. bragez. Cf. Breeches.]

1. (Falconry)

Defn: A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing.

2. pl. (Naut.)

Defn: Ropes passing through pulleys, and used to haul in or up the leeches, bottoms, or corners of sails, preparatory to furling.

3. A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched.

BRAIL Brail, v. t. (Naut.)

Defn: To haul up by the brails; — used with up; as, to brail up a sail.

BRAILLE Braille, n.

Defn: A system of printing or writing for the blind in which the characters are represented by tangible points or dots. It was invented by Louis Braille, a French teacher of the blind.

BRAIN Brain, n. Etym: [OE. brain, brein, AS. bragen, brægen; akin to LG. brägen, bregen, D. brein, and perh. to Gr. 95.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: 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.

Note: In the brain of man the cerebral lobes, or largest part of the forebrain, are enormously developed so as to overhang the cerebellum, the great lobe of the hindbrain, and completely cover the lobes of the midbrain. The surface of the cerebrum is divided into irregular ridges, or convolutions, separated by grooves (the so-called fissures and sulci), and the two hemispheres are connected at the bottom of the longitudinal fissure by a great transverse band of nervous matter, the corpus callosum, while the two halves of the cerebellum are connected on the under side of the brain by the bridge, or pons Varolii.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The anterior or cephalic ganglion in insects and other invertebrates.

3. The organ or seat of intellect; hence, the understanding. " My brain is too dull." Sir W. Scott.

Note: In this sense, often used in the plural.

4. The affections; fancy; imagination. [R.] Shak. To have on the brain, to have constantly in one's thoughts, as a sort of monomania. [Low] Brain box or case, the bony on cartilaginous case inclosing the brain. — Brain coral, Brain stone coral (Zoöl), a massive reef-building coral having the surface covered by ridges separated by furrows so as to resemble somewhat the surface of the brain, esp. such corals of the genera Mæandrina and Diploria. — Brain fag (Med.), brain weariness. See Cerebropathy. — Brain fever (Med.), fever in which the brain is specially affected; any acute cerebral affection attended by fever. — Brain sand, calcareous matter found in the pineal gland.

BRAIN Brain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brained; p. pr. & vb. n. Braining.]

1. To dash out the brains of; to kill by beating out the brains. Hence, Fig.: To destroy; to put an end to; to defeat. There thou mayst brain him. Shak. It was the swift celerity of the death . . . That brained my purpose. Shak.

2. To conceive; to understand. [Obs.] brain not. Shak.

BRAINED Brained, p.a.

Defn: Supplied with brains. If th' other two be brained like us. Shak.

BRAINISH Brain"ish, a.

Defn: Hot-headed; furious. [R.] Shak.

BRAINLESS Brain"less, a.

Defn: Without understanding; silly; thougthless; witless. — Brain"less*ness, n.

BRAINPAN Brain"pan`, n. Etym: [Brain + pan.]

Defn: The bones which inclose the brain; the skull; the cranium.

BRAINSICK Brain"sick`, a.

Defn: Disordered in the understanding; giddy; thoughtless. — Brain"sick*ness, n.

BRAINSICKLY Brain"sick`ly, adv.

Defn: In a brainsick manner.

BRAINY Brain"y, a.

Defn: Having an active or vigorous mind. [Colloq.]

BRAISE; BRAIZE Braise, Braize, n. Etym: [So called from its iridescent colors.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European marine fish (Pagrus vulgaris) allied to the American scup; the becker. The name is sometimes applied to the related species. [Also written brazier.]

BRAISE; BRAIZE Braise, Braize, n. Etym: [F.]

1. Charcoal powder; breeze.

2. (Cookery)

Defn: Braised meat.

BRAISE Braise, v. t. Etym: [F. braiser, fr. braise coals.] (Cookery)

Defn: To stew or broil in a covered kettle or pan. A braising kettle has a deep cover which holds coals; consequently the cooking is done from above, as well as below. Mrs. Henderson.

BRAISER Brais"er, n.

Defn: A kettle or pan for braising.

BRAIT Brait, n. Etym: [Cf.W. braith variegated, Ir. breath, breagh, fine, comely.]

Defn: A rough diamond.

BRAIZE Braize, n.

Defn: See Braise.

BRAKE Brake, imp.

Defn: of Break. [Arhaic] Tennyson.

BRAKE Brake, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

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, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.

8. (Agric.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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. (a) The part of a brake holding the brake shoe. (b) 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.

BRAKEMAN Brake"man, n.; pl. Brakemen (.

1. (Railroads)

Defn: A man in charge of a brake or brakes.

2. (Mining)

Defn: The man in charge of the winding (or hoisting) engine for a mine.

BRAKY Brak"y, a.

Defn: Full of brakes; abounding with brambles, shrubs, or ferns; rough; thorny. In the woods and braky glens. W. Browne.

BRAMA Bra"ma, n.

Defn: See Brahma.

BRAMAH PRESS Bra"mah press`.

Defn: A hydrostatic press of immense power, invented by Joseph Bramah of London. See under Hydrostatic.

BRAMBLE Bram"ble, n. Etym: [OE. brembil, AS.brbramal), fr. the same root as E. broom, As. br. See Broom.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the genus Rubus, including the raspberry and blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub. The thorny brambles, and embracing bushes. Shak.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The brambling or bramble finch.

BRAMBLE BUSH Bram"ble bush`. (Bot.)

Defn: The bramble, or a collection of brambles growing together. He jumped into a bramble bush And scratched out both his eyes. Mother Goose.

BRAMBLED Bram"bled, a.

Defn: Overgrown with brambles. Forlorn she sits upon the brambled floor. T. Warton.

BRAMBLE NET Bram"ble net`.

Defn: A net to catch birds.

BRAMBLING Bram"bling, n. Etym: [OE. bramline. See Bramble, n.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European mountain finch (Fringilla montifringilla); — called also bramble finch and bramble.

BRAMBLY Bram"bly, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, resembling, or full of, brambles. "In brambly wildernesses." Tennyson.

BRAME Brame, n. Etym: [Cf. Breme.]

Defn: Sharp passion; vexation. [Obs.] Heart-burning brame. Spenser.

BRAMIN; BRAMINIC Bra"min, Bra*min"ic

Defn: , etc. See Brahman, Brachmanic, etc.

BRAN Bran, n. Etym: [OE. bren, bran, OF. bren, F. bran, from Celtic; cf. Armor. brenn, Ir. bran, bran, chaff.]

1. The broken coat of the seed of wheat, rye, or other cereal grain, separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting; the coarse, chaffy part of ground grain.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European carrion crow.

BRANCARD Bran"card, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A litter on which a person may be carried. [Obs.] Coigrave.

BRANCH Branch, n.; pl. Branches (. Etym: [OE. braunche, F. branche, fr. LL. branca claw of a bird or beast of prey; cf. Armor. brank branch, bough.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A shoot or secondary stem growing from the main stem, or from a principal limb or bough of a tree or other plant.

2. Any division extending like a branch; any arm or part connected with the main body of thing; ramification; as, the branch of an antler; the branch of a chandelier; a branch of a river; a branch of a railway. Most of the branches , or streams, were dried up. W. Irving.

3. Any member or part of a body or system; a distinct article; a section or subdivision; a department. "Branches of knowledge." Prescott. It is a branch and parcel of mine oath. Shak.

4. (Geom.)

Defn: One of the portions of a curve that extends outwards to an indefinitely great distance; as, the branches of an hyperbola.

5. A line of family descent, in distinction from some other line or lines from the same stock; any descendant in such a line; as, the English branch of a family. His father, a younger branch of the ancient stock. Carew.

6. (Naut.)

Defn: A warrant or commission given to a pilot, authorizing him to pilot vessels in certain waters. Branches of a bridle, two pieces of bent iron, which bear the bit, the cross chains, and the curb. — Branch herring. See Alewife. — Root and branch , totally, wholly.

Syn. — Bough; limb; shoot; offshoot; twig; sprig.

BRANCH Branch, a.

Defn: Diverging from, or tributary to, a main stock, line, way, theme, etc.; as, a branch vein; a branch road or line; a branch topic; a branch store.

BRANCH Branch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Branched; p. pr. & vb. n. Branching.]

1. To shoot or spread in branches; to separate into branches; to ramify.

2. To divide into separate parts or subdivision. To branch off, to form a branch or a separate part; to diverge. — To branch out, to speak diffusively; to extend one's discourse to other topics than the main one; also, to enlarge the scope of one's business, etc. To branch out into a long disputation. Spectator.

BRANCH Branch, v. t.

1. To divide as into branches; to make subordinate division in.

2. To adorn with needlework representing branches, flowers, or twigs. The train whereof loose far behind her strayed, Branched with gold and pearl, most richly wrought. Spenser.

BRANCHER Branch"er, n.

1. That which shoots forth branches; one who shows growth in various directions.

2. (Falconry)

Defn: A young hawk when it begins to leave the nest and take to the branches.

BRANCHERY Branch"er*y, n.

Defn: A system of branches.

BRANCHIA Bran"chi*a, n.; pl. Branchiæ. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: A gill; a respiratory organ for breathing the air contained in water, such as many aquatic and semiaquatic animals have.

BRANCHIAL Bran"chi*al, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to branchiæ or gills. Branchial arches, the bony or cartilaginous arches which support the gills on each side of the throat of fishes and amphibians. See Illustration in Appendix. — Branchial clefts, the openings between the branchial arches through which water passes.

BRANCHIATE Bran"chi*ate, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Furnished with branchiæ; as, branchiate segments.

BRANCHIFEROUS Bran*chif"er*ous, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Having gills; branchiate; as, branchiferous gastropods.

BRANCHINESS Branch"i*ness, n.

Defn: Fullness of branches.

BRANCHING Branch"ing, a.

Defn: Furnished with branches; shooting our branches; extending in a branch or branches. Shaded with branching palm. Milton.

BRANCHING Branch"ing, n.

Defn: The act or state of separation into branches; division into branches; a division or branch. The sciences, with their numerous branchings. L. Watts.

BRANCHIOGASTROPODA Bran`chi*o*gas*trop"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. gastropoda.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Those Gastropoda that breathe by branchiæ, including the Prosobranchiata and Opisthobranchiata.

BRANCHIOMERISM Bran`chi*om"er*ism, n. Etym: [Gr. -mere.] (Anat.)

Defn: The state of being made up of branchiate segments. R. Wiedersheim.

BRANCHIOPOD Bran"chi*o*pod, n.

Defn: One of the Branchiopoda.

BRANCHIOPODA Bran"chi*o*poda, n. pl. Etym: [Gr. -poda: cf. F. branchiopode.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of Entomostraca; — so named from the feet of branchiopods having been supposed to perform the function of gills. It includes the fresh-water genera Branchipus, Apus, and Limnadia, and the genus Artemia found in salt lakes. It is also called Phyllopoda. See Phyllopoda, Cladocera. It is sometimes used in a broader sense.

BRANCHIOSTEGAL Bran`chi*os"te*gal, a. Etym: [Gr. branchiostège.] (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining to the membrane covering the gills of fishes. — n. (Anat.)

Defn: A branchiostegal ray. See Illustration of Branchial arches in Appendix.

Note: This term was formerly applied to a group of fishes having boneless branchiæ. But the arrangement was artificial, and has been rejected.

BRANCHIOSTEGE Bran`chi*os"tege, (Anat.)

Defn: The branchiostegal membrane. See Illustration in Appendix.

BRANCHIOSTEGOUS Bran`chi*os"te*gous, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Branchiostegal.

BRANCHIOSTOMA Bran`chi*os"to*ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr., Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lancelet. See Amphioxus.

BRANCHIURA Bran"chi*u"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr., Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Entomostraca, with suctorial mouths, including species parasitic on fishes, as the carp lice (Argulus).

BRANCHLESS Branch"less, a.

Defn: Destitude of branches or shoots; without any valuable product; barren; naked.

BRANCHLET Branch"let, n. Etym: [Branch + -let.]

Defn: A little branch; a twig.

BRANCH PILOT Branch" pi`lot.

Defn: A pilot who has a branch or commission, as from Trinity House, England, for special navigation.

BRANCHY Branch"y, a.

Defn: Full of branches; having wide-spreading branches; consisting of branches. Beneath thy branchy bowers of thickest gloom. J. Scott.

BRAND Brand, n. Etym: [OE. brand, brond, AS. brand brond brand, sword, from byrnan, beornan, to burn; akin to D., Dan., Sw., & G. brand brand, Icel. brandr a brand, blade of a sword. sq. root32. See Burn, v. t., and cf. Brandish.]

1. A burning piece of wood; or a stick or piece of wood partly burnt, whether burning or after the fire is extinct. Snatching a live brand from a wigwam, Mason threw it on a matted roof. Palfrey.

2. A sword, so called from its glittering or flashing brightness. [Poetic] Tennyson. Paradise, so late their happy seat, Waved over by that flaming brand. Milton.

3. 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.

4. A mark put upon criminals with a hot iron. Hence: Any mark of infamy or vice; a stigma. The brand of private vice. Channing.

5. An instrument to brand with; a branding iron.

6. (Bot.)

Defn: Any minute fungus which produces a burnt appearance in plants. The brands are of many species and several genera of the order Pucciniæi.

BRAND Brand, v.t [imp. & p. p. Branded; p. pr. & vb. n. Branding.].

1. 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).

2. To put an actual distinctive mark upon in any other way, as with a stencil, to show quality of contents, name of manufacture, etc.

3. Fig.: To fix a mark of infamy, or a stigma, upon. The Inquisition branded its victims with infamy. Prescott. There were the enormities, branded and condemned by the first and most natural verdict of common humanity. South.

4. To mark or impress indelibly, as with a hot iron. As if it were branded on my mind. Geo. Eliot. Brand"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, brands; a branding iron.

2. A gridiron. [Scot.]

BRANDENBURG Bran"den*burg, n. [So named after Brandenburg, a province and a town of Prussia.]

Defn: A kind of decoration for the breast of a coat, sometimes only a frog with a loop, but in some military uniforms enlarged into a broad horizontal stripe.

He wore a coat . . . trimmed with Brandenburgs. Smollett.

BRANDER Brand"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, brands; a branding iron.

2. A gridiron. [Scot.]

BRAND GOOSE Brand" goose`. Etym: [Prob. fr. 1st brand + goose: cf. Sw. brandgås. Cf. Brant.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A species of wild goose (Branta bernicla) usually called in America brant. See Brant.

BRANDIED Bran"died, a.

Defn: Mingled with brandy; made stronger by the addition of brandy; flavored or treated with brandy; as, brandied peaches.

BRANDING IRON Brand"ing i`*ron.

Defn: An iron to brand with.

BRAND IRON Brand" i`ron.

1. A branding iron.

2. A trivet to set a pot on. Huloet.

3. The horizontal bar of an andiron.

BRANDISH Bran"dish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brandished; p. pr. & vb. n. Brandishing.] Etym: [OE. braundisen, F. brandir, fr. brand a sword, fr. OHG. brant brand. See Brand, n.]

1. To move or wave, as a weapon; to raise and move in various directions; to shake or flourish. The quivering lance which he brandished bright. Drake.

2. To play with; to flourish; as, to brandish syllogisms.

BRANDISH Bran"dish, n.

Defn: A flourish, as with a weapon, whip, etc. "Brandishes of the fan." Tailer.

BRANDISHER Bran"dish*er, n.

Defn: One who brandishes.

BRANDLE Bran"dle, v. t. & i. Etym: [F. brandiller.]

Defn: To shake; to totter. [Obs.]

BRANDLING; BRANDLIN Brand"ling, Brand"lin, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Branlin, fish and worm.

BRAND-NEW Brand"-new", a. Etym: [See Brand, and cf. Brannew.]

Defn: Quite new; bright as if fresh from the forge.

BRAND SPORE Brand" spore`. (Bot.)

Defn: One of several spores growing in a series or chain, and produced by one of the fungi called brand.

BRANDY Bran"dy, n.; pl. Brandies. Etym: [From older brandywine, brandwine, fr. D. brandewijn, fr. p. p. of branden to burn, distill + wijn wine, akin to G. branntwein. See Brand.]

Defn: A strong alcoholic liquor distilled from wine. The name is also given to spirit distilled from other liquors, and in the United States to that distilled from cider and peaches. In northern Europe, it is also applied to a spirit obtained from grain. Brandy fruit, fruit preserved in brandy and sugar.

BRANDYWINE Bran"dy*wine`, n.

Defn: Brandy. [Obs.] Wiseman.

BRANGLE Bran"gle, n. Etym: [Prov. E. brangled confused, entangled, Scot. brangle to shake, menace; probably a variant of wrangle, confused with brawl.]

Defn: A wrangle; a squabble; a noisy contest or dispute. [R.] A brangle between him and his neighbor. Swift.

BRANGLE Bran"gle, v.i [imp. & p. p. Brangled; p. pr. & vb. n. Brangling.]

Defn: To wrangle; to dispute contentiously; to squabble. [R.]

BRANGLEMENT Bran"gle*ment, n.

Defn: Wrangle; brangle. [Obs.]

BRANGLER Bran"gler, n.

Defn: A quarrelsome person.

BRANGLING Bran"gling, n.

Defn: A quarrel. [R.] Whitlock.

BRANK Brank, n. Etym: [Prov. of Celtic origin; cf. L. brance, brace, the Gallic name of a particularly white kind of corn.]

Defn: Buckwheat. [Local, Eng.] Halliwell.

BRANK; BRANKS Brank, Branks, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. brangus, brangas, a sort of pillory, Ir. brancas halter, or D. pranger fetter.]

1. A sort of bridle with wooden side pieces. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Jamieson.

2. A scolding bridle, an instrument formerly used for correcting scolding women. It was an iron frame surrounding the head and having a triangular piece entering the mouth of the scold.

BRANK Brank, v. i.

1. To hold up and toss the head; — applied to horses as spurning the bit. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

2. To prance; to caper. [Scot.] Jamieson.

BRANKURSINE Brank"ur*sine, n. Etym: [F. branc-ursine, branch-ursine, fr. LL. branca claw + L. ursinus belonging to a bear (fr. ursus bear), i .e., bear's claw, because its leaves resemble the claws of a bear. Cf. Branch.] (Bot.)

Defn: Bear's-breech, or Acanthus.

BRANLIN Bran"lin, n. Etym: [Scot. branlie fr. brand.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A young salmon or parr, in the stage in which it has transverse black bands, as if burned by a gridiron.

BRANLIN Bran"lin, n. Etym: [See Brand.]

Defn: A small red worm or larva, used as bait for small fresh-water fish; — so called from its red color.

BRAN-NEW Bran"-new", a.

Defn: See Brand-new.

BRANNY Bran"ny, a.

Defn: Having the appearance of bran; consisting of or containing bran. Wiseman.

BRANSLE Bran"sle, n. Etym: [See Brawl a dance.]

Defn: A brawl or dance. [Obs.] Spenser.

BRANT Brant, n. Etym: [Cf.Brand goose, Brent, Brenicle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A species of wild goose (Branta bernicla) — called also brent and brand goose. The name is also applied to other related species.

BRANT Brant, a. Etym: [See Brent.]

Defn: Steep. [Prov. Eng.]

BRANTAIL Bran"tail`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European redstart; — so called from the red color of its tail.

BRANT-FOX Brant"-fox`, n. Etym: [For brand-fox; cf. G. brandfuchs, Sw. bradräf. So called from its yellowish brown and somewhat black color. See Brand.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A kind of fox found in Sweden (Vulpes alopex), smaller than the common fox (V. vulgaris), but probably a variety of it.

BRANULAR Bran"u*lar, a.

Defn: Relating to the brain; cerebral. I. Taylor.

BRASEN Bra"sen, a.

Defn: Same as Brazen.

BRASH Brash, a. Etym: [Cf. Gael. bras or G. barsch harsh, sharp, tart, impetuous, D. barsch, Sw. & Dan. barsk.]

Defn: Hasty in temper; impetuous. Grose.

BRASH Brash, a. Etym: [Cf. Amer. bresk, brusk, fragile, brittle.]

Defn: Brittle, as wood or vegetables. [Colloq., U. S.] Bartlett.

BRASH Brash, n. Etym: [See Brash brittle.]

1. A rash or eruption; a sudden or transient fit of sickness.

2. Refuse boughs of trees; also, the clippings of hedges. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

3. (Geol.)

Defn: Broken and angular fragments of rocks underlying alluvial deposits. Lyell.

4. Broken fragments of ice. Kane. Water brash (Med.), an affection characterized by a spasmodic pain or hot sensation in the stomach with a rising of watery liquid into the mouth; pyrosis. — Weaning brash (Med.), a severe form of diarrhea which sometimes attacks children just weaned.

BRASHY Brash"y, a.

1. Resembling, or of the nature of, brash, or broken fragments; broken; crumbly.

Our progress was not at all impeded by the few soft, brashy floes that we encountered. F. T. Bullen.

2. Showery; characterized by brashes, or showers.

BRASIER; BRAZIER Bra"sier, Bra"zier, n. Etym: [OE. brasiere, F. braise live coals. See Brass.]

Defn: An artificer who works in brass. Franklin.

BRASIER; BRAZIER Bra"sier, Bra"zier, n. Etym: [F. brasier, braisíer, fr. braise live coals. See Brass.]

Defn: A pan for holding burning coals.

BRASILIN; BRASILEIN Bras"i*lin, Bras"i*lein, n. [Cf. F. brésiline. See 2d Brazil.] (Chem.)

Defn: A substance, C16H14O5, extracted from brazilwood as a yellow crystalline powder which is white when pure. It is colored intensely red by alkalies on exposure to the air, being oxidized to bra*sil"e*in, C16H12O5, to which brazilwood owes its dyeing properties.

BRASQUE Brasque, n. [F.] (Metal.)

Defn: A paste made by mixing powdered charcoal, coal, or coke with clay, molasses, tar, or other suitable substance. It is used for lining hearths, crucibles, etc. Called also steep.

BRASS Brass, n.; pl. Brasses. Etym: [OE. bras, bres, AS. bræs; akin to Icel. bras cement, solder, brasa to harden by fire, and to E. braze, brazen. Cf. 1st & 2d Braze.]

1. 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.

2. (Mach.)

Defn: 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.

3. Coin made of copper, brass, or bronze. [Obs.] Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey. Matt. x. 9.

4. Impudence; a brazen face. [Colloq.]

5. pl.

Defn: Utensils, ornaments, or other articles of brass. The very scullion who cleans the brasses. Hopkinson.

6. 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.

7. pl. (Mining)

Defn: Lumps of pyrites or sulphuret of iron, the color of which is near to that of brass.

Note: The word brass as used in Sculpture language is a translation for copper or some kind of bronze.

Note: Brass is often used adjectively or in self-explaining compounds; as, brass button, brass kettle, brass founder, brass foundry or brassfoundry. Brass band (Mus.), a band of musicians who play upon wind instruments made of brass, as trumpets, cornets, etc. — Brass foil, Brass leaf, brass made into very thin sheets; — called also Dutch gold.

BRASSAGE Bras"sage, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A sum formerly levied to pay the expense of coinage; — now called seigniorage.

BRASSART Bras"sart, n. Etym: [F. brassard, fr. bras arm. See Brace, n.]

Defn: Armor for the arm; — generally used for the whole arm from the shoulder to the wrist, and consisting, in the 15th and 16th centuries, of many parts.

BRASSE Brasse, n. Etym: [Perh. a transposition of barse; but cf. LG. brasse the bream, G. brassen Cf. Bream.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A spotted European fish of the genus Lucioperca, resembling a perch.

BRASSETS Bras"sets, n.

Defn: See Brassart.

BRASSICA Bras"si*ca, n. Etym: [L., cabbage.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants embracing several species ad varieties differing much in appearance and qualities: such as the common cabbage (B. oleracea), broccoli, cauliflowers, etc.; the wild turnip (B. campestris); the common turnip (B. rapa); the rape of coleseed (B. napus), etc.

BRASSICACEOUS Bras`si*ca"ceous, a. Etym: [L. brassica cabbage.] (Bot.)

Defn: Related to, or resembling, the cabbage, or plants of the Cabbage family.

BRASSIERE Bras`sière", n. [F.]

Defn: A form of woman's underwaist stiffened with whalebones, or the like, and worn to support the breasts.

BRASSINESS Brass"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state, conditions, or quality of being brassy. [Colloq.]

BRASS-VISAGED Brass"-vis"aged, a.

Defn: Impudent; bold.

BRASSY Brass"y, a.

1. Of or pertaining to brass; having the nature, appearance, or hardness, of brass.

2. Impudent; impudently bold. [Colloq.]

BRAST Brast, v. t. & i. Etym: [See Burst.]

Defn: To burst. [Obs.] And both his yën braste out of his face. Chaucer. Dreadfull furies which their chains have brast. Spenser.

BRAT Brat, n. Etym: [OE. bratt coarse garnment, AS. bratt cloak, fr. the Celtic; cf. W. brat clout, rag, Gael. brat cloak, apron, raf, Ir. brat cloak; properly then, a child's bib or clout; hence, a child.]

1. A coarse garnment or cloak; also, coarse clothing, in general. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. A coarse kind of apron for keeping the clothes clean; a bib. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wright.

3. A child; an offspring; — formerly used in a good sense, but now usually in a contemptuous sense. "This brat is none of mine." Shak. "A beggar's brat." Swift. O Israel! O household of the Lord! O Abraham's brats! O brood of blessed seed! Gascoigne.

4. The young of an animal. [Obs.] L'Estrange.

BRAT Brat, n. (Mining)

Defn: A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or carbonate of lime.

BRATSCHE Brat"sche, n. Etym: [G., fr. It. viola da braccio viola held on the arm.]

Defn: The tenor viola, or viola.

BRATTICE Brat"tice, n. Etym: [See Brettice.] (Mining) (a) A wall of separation in a shaft or gallery used for ventilation. (b) Planking to support a roof or wall.

BRATTISHING Brat"tish*ing, n.

1. See Brattice, n.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: Carved openwork, as of a shrine, battlement, or parapet.

BRAUNITE Braun"ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A native oxide of manganese, of dark brownish black color. It was named from a Mr. Braun of Gotha.

BRAVADE Bra*vade" (, n.

Defn: Bravado. [Obs.] Fanshawe.

BRAVADO Bra*va"do, n., pl. Bravadoes. Etym: [Sp. bravada, bravata, boast, brag: cf. F. bravade. See Brave.]

Defn: Boastful and threatening behavior; a boastful menace. In spite of our host's bravado. Irving.

BRAVE Brave, a. [Compar. Braver; superl. Bravest.] Etym: [F. brave, It. or Sp. bravo, (orig.) fierce, wild, savage, prob. from. L. barbarus. See Barbarous, and cf. Bravo.]

1. Bold; courageous; daring; intrepid; — opposed to cowardly; as, a brave man; a brave act.

2. Having any sort of superiority or excellence; — especially such as in conspicuous. [Obs. or Archaic as applied to material things.] Iron is a brave commodity where wood aboundeth. Bacon. It being a brave day, I walked to Whitehall. Pepys.

3. Making a fine show or display. [Archaic] Wear my dagger with the braver grace. Shak. For I have gold, and therefore will be brave. In silks I'll rattle it of every color. Robert Greene. Frog and lizard in holiday coats And turtle brave in his golden spots. Emerson.

Syn. — Courageous; gallant; daring; valiant; valorous; bold; heroic; intrepid; fearless; dauntless; magnanimous; high-spirited; stout- hearted. See Gallant.

BRAVE Brave, n.

1. A brave person; one who is daring. The star-spangled banner, O,long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. F. S. Key.

2. Specifically, an Indian warrior.

3. A man daring beyond discretion; a bully. Hot braves like thee may fight. Dryden.

4. A challenge; a defiance; bravado. [Obs.] Demetrius, thou dost overween in all; And so in this, to bear me down with braves. Shak.

BRAVE Brave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braved; p. pr. & vb. n. Braving.]

1. To encounter with courage and fortitude; to set at defiance; to defy; to dare. These I can brave, but those I can not bear. Dryden.

2. To adorn; to make fine or showy. [Obs.] Thou [a tailor whom Grunio was browbeating] hast braved meny men; brave not me; I'll neither be faced or braved. Shak.

BRAVELY Brave"ly, adv.

1. In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.

2. Finely; gaudily; gayly; showily. And [she] decked herself bravely to allure the eyes of all men that should see her. Judith. x. 4.

3. Well; thrivingly; prosperously. [Colloq.]

BRAVENESS Brave"ness, n.

Defn: The quality of state or being brave.

BRAVERY Brav"er*y, n. Etym: [Cf. F. braverie.]

1. The quality of being brave; fearless; intrepidity. Remember, sir, my liege, . . . The natural bravery of your isle. Shak.

2. The act of braving; defiance; bravado. [Obs.] Reform, then, without bravery or scandal of former times and persons.

3. Splendor; magnificence; showy appearance; ostentation; fine dress. With scarfs and fans and double change of bravery. Shak. Like a stately ship . . . With all her bravery on, and tackle trim. Milton.

4. A showy person; a fine gentleman; a beau. [Obs.] A man that is the bravery of his age. Beau. & Fl.

Syn. — Courage; heroism; interpidity; gallantry; valor; fearlessness; dauntlessness; hardihood; manfulness. See Courage, and Heroism.

BRAVING Brav"ing, n.

Defn: A bravado; a boast. With so proud a strain Of threats and bravings. Chapman.

BRAVINGLY Brav"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a defiant manner.

BRAVO Bra"vo, n.; pl. Bravoes. Etym: [I. See Brave, a.]

Defn: A daring villain; a bandit; one who sets law at defiance; a professional assassin or murderer. Safe from detection, seize the unwary prey. And stab, like bravoes, all who come this way. Churchill.

BRAVO Bra"vo, interj. Etym: [It. See Brave.]

Defn: Well done! excellent! an exclamation expressive of applause.

BRAVURA Bra*vu"ra, n. Etym: [It., (properly) bravery, spirit, from bravo. See Brave.] (Mus.)

Defn: A florid, brilliant style of music, written for effect, to show the range and flexibility of a singer's voice, or the technical force and skill of a performer; virtuoso music. Aria di bravura ( Etym: [It.], a florid air demanding brilliant execution.

BRAW Braw, a. [See Brave, a.] [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

1. Well-dressed; handsome; smart; brave; — used of persons or their clothing, etc.; as, a braw lad. "A braw new gown." Burns.

2. Good; fine. "A braw night." Sir W. Scott.

BRAWL Brawl, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brawled; p. pr. & vb. n. Brawling.] Etym: [OE. braulen to quarrel, boast, brallen to cry, make a noise; cf. LG. brallen to brag, MHG. prulen, G. prahlen, F. brailler to cry, shout, Pr. brailar, braillar, W. bragal to vociferate, brag, Armor. bragal to romp, to strut, W. broliaw to brag, brawl boast.

1. To quarrel noisily and outrageously. Let a man that is a man consider that he is a fool that brawleth openly with his wife. Golden Boke.

2. To complain loudly; to scold.

3. To make a loud confused noise, as the water of a rapid stream running over stones. Where the brook brawls along the painful road. Wordsworth.

Syn. — To wrangle; squabble; contend.

BRAWL Brawl, n.

Defn: A noisy quarrel; loud, angry contention; a wrangle; a tumult; as, a drunken brawl. His sports were hindered by the brawls. Shak .

Syn. — Noise; quarrel; uproar; row; tumult.

BRAWLER Brawl"er, n.

Defn: One that brawls; wrangler. Common brawler (Law), one who disturbs a neighborhood by brawling (and is therefore indictable at common law as a nuisance). Wharton.

BRAWLING Brawl"ing, a.

1. Quarreling; quarrelsome; noisy. She is an irksome brawling scold. Shak.

2. Making a loud confused noise. See Brawl, v. i., 3. A brawling stream. J. S. Shairp.

BRAWLINGLY Brawl"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a brawling manner.

BRAWN Brawn, n. Etym: [OF. braon fleshy part, muscle, fr. HG. br flesh, G. braten roast meat; akin to Icel. br flesh, food of beasts, AS. brbr to roast, G. braten, and possibly to E. breed.]

1. A muscle; flesh. [Obs.] Formed well of brawns and of bones. Chaucer.

2. Full, strong muscles, esp. of the arm or leg, muscular strength; a protuberant muscular part of the body; sometimes, the arm. Brawn without brains is thine. Dryden. It was ordained that murderers should be brent on the brawn of the left hand. E. Hall. And in my vantbrace put this withered brawn. Shak.

3. The flesh of a boar; also, the salted and prepared flesh of a boar. The best age for the boar is from two to five years, at which time it is best to geld him, or sell him for brawn. Mortimer.

4. A boar. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

BRAWNED Brawned, a.

Defn: Brawny; strong; muscular. [Obs.] Spenser.

BRAWNER Brawn"er, n.

Defn: A boor killed for the table.

BRAWNINESS Brawn"i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being brawny.

BRAWNY Brawn"y, a.

Defn: Having large, strong muscles; muscular; fleshy; strong. "Brawny limbs." W. Irving.

Syn. — Muscular; fleshy; strong; bulky; sinewy; athletic; stalwart; powerful; robust.

BRAXY Brax"y, n. Etym: [Cf. AS. breac rheum, broc sickness, Ir. bracha corruption. Jamieson.]

1. A disease of sheep. The term is variously applied in different localities. [Scot.]

2. A diseased sheep, or its mutton.

BRAY Bray, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Braying.] Etym: [OE. brayen, OF. breier, F. broyer to pound, grind, fr. OHG. brehhan to break. See Break.]

Defn: To pound, beat, rub, or grind small or fine. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar, . . . yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Prov. xxvii. 22.

BRAY Bray, v. i. Etym: [OE brayen, F. braire to bray, OF. braire to cry, fr. LL. bragire to whinny; perh. fr. the Celtic and akin to E. break; or perh. of imitative origin.]

1. To utter a loud, harsh cry, as an ass. Laugh, and they Return it louder than an ass can bray. Dryden.

2. To make a harsh, grating, or discordant noise. Heard ye the din of battle bray Gray.

BRAY Bray, v. t.

Defn: To make or utter with a loud, discordant, or harsh and grating sound. Arms on armor clashing, brayed Horrible discord. MIlton. And varying notes the war pipes brayed. Sir W. Scott.

BRAY Bray, n.

Defn: The harsh cry of an ass; also, any harsh, grating, or discordant sound. The bray and roar of multitudinous London. Jerrold.

BRAY Bray, n. Etym: [OE. braye, brey, brew, eyebrow, brow of a hill, hill, bank, Scot. bra, brae, bray, fr. AS. br eyebrow, influenced by the allied Icel. br eyebrow, bank, also akin to AS. brBrow.]

Defn: A bank; the slope of a hill; a hill. See Brae, which is now the usual spelling. [North of Eng. & Scot.] Fairfax.

BRAYER Bray"er, n.

Defn: An implement for braying and spreading ink in hand printing.

BRAYER Bray"er, n.

Defn: One that brays like an ass. Pope.

BRAYING Bray"ing, a.

Defn: Making a harsh noise; blaring. "Braying trumpets." Shak.

BRAZE Braze, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brazed; p. pr & vb. n. Brazing.] Etym: [F. braser to solder, fr. Icel. brasa to harden by fire. Cf. Brass.]

1. To solder with hard solder, esp. with an alloy of copper and zinc; as, to braze the seams of a copper pipe.

2. To harden. "Now I am brazes to it." Shak.

BRAZE Braze, v. t. Etym: [AS. bræsian, fr. bræs brass. See Brass.]

Defn: To cover or ornament with brass. Chapman.

BRAZEN Bra"zen, a.Etym: [OE. brasen, AS. bræsen. See Brass.]

1. Pertaining to, made of, or resembling, brass.

2. Sounding harsh and loud, like resounding brass.

3. Impudent; immodest; shameless; having a front like brass; as, a brazen countenance. Brazen age. (a) (Myth.) The age of war and lawlessness which succeeded the silver age. (b) (Archæol.) See under Bronze. — Brazen sea (Jewish Antiq.), a large laver of brass, placed in Solomon's temple for the use of the priests.

BRAZEN Bra"zen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brazened; p. pr. & vb. n. Brazening.]

Defn: To carry through impudently or shamelessly; as, to brazen the matter through. Sabina brazened it out before Mrs. Wygram, but inwardly she was resolved to be a good deal more circumspect. W. Black.

BRAZEN-BROWED Bra"zen-browed`, a.

Defn: Shamelessly impudent. Sir T. Browne.

BRAZENFACE Bra"zen*face`, n.

Defn: An impudent of shameless person. "Well said, brazenface; hold it out." Shak.

BRAZENFACED Bra"zen*faced`, a.

Defn: Impudent; shameless.

BRAZENLY Bra"zen*ly, adv.

Defn: In a bold, impudent manner.

BRAZENNESS Bra"zen*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being brazen. Johnson.

BRAZIER Bra"zier, n.

Defn: Same as Brasier.

BRAZILETTO Braz`i*let"to, n. Etym: [Cf. Pg. & Sp. brasilete, It. brasiletto.]

Defn: See Brazil wood.

BRAZILIAN Bra*zil"ian, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Brasil. — n.

Defn: A native or an inhabitant of Brazil. Brazilian pebble. See Pebble, n., 2.

BRAZILIN Braz"i*lin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. brésiline. See Brazil.] (Chem.)

Defn: A substance contained in both Brazil wood and Sapan wood, from which it is extracted as a yellow crystalline substance which is white when pure. It is colored intensely red by alkalies. [Written also brezilin.]

BRAZIL NUT Bra*zil" nut`. (Bot.)

Defn: An oily, three-sided nut, the seed of the Bertholletia excelsa; the cream nut.

Note: From eighteen to twenty-four of the seed or "nuts" grow in a hard and nearly globular shell.

BRAZIL WOOD Bra*zil" wood`. Etym: [OE. brasil, LL. brasile (cf. Pg. & Sp. brasil, Pr. bresil, Pr. bresil); perh. from Sp. or Pg. brasa a live coal (cf. Braze, Brasier); or Ar. vars plant for dyeing red or yellow. This name was given to the wood from its color; and it is said that King Emanuel, of Portugal, gave the name Brazil to the country in South America on account of its producing this wood.]

1. The wood of the oriental Cæsalpinia Sapan; — so called before the discovery of America.

2. A very heavy wood of a reddish color, imported from Brazil and other tropical countries, for cabinet-work, and for dyeing. The best is the heartwood of Cæsalpinia echinata, a leguminous tree; but other trees also yield it. An interior sort comes from Jamaica, the timber of C. Braziliensis and C. crista. This is often distinguished as Braziletto , but the better kind is also frequently so named.

BREACH Breach, n. Etym: [OE. breke, breche, AS. brice, gebrice, gebrece (in comp.), fr. brecan to break; akin to Dan. bræk, MHG. breche, gap, breach. See Break, and cf. Brake (the instrument), Brack a break] .

1. The act of breaking, in a figurative sense.

2. Specifically: A breaking or infraction of a law, or of any obligation or tie; violation; non-fulfillment; as, a breach of contract; a breach of promise.

3. A gap or opening made made by breaking or battering, as in a wall or fortification; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by violence; a break; a rupture. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. Shak.

4. A breaking of waters, as over a vessel; the waters themselves; surge; surf. The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. 2 Sam. v. 20 A clear breach implies that the waves roll over the vessel without breaking. — A clean breach implies that everything on deck is swept away. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

5. A breaking up of amicable relations; rupture. There's fallen between him and my lord An unkind breach. Shak.

6. A bruise; a wound. Breach for breach, eye for eye. Lev. xxiv. 20

7. (Med.)

Defn: A hernia; a rupture.

8. A breaking out upon; an assault. The Lord had made a breach upon Uzza. 1. Chron. xiii. 11 Breach of falth, a breaking, or a failure to keep, an expressed or implied promise; a betrayal of confidence or trust. — Breach of peace, disorderly conduct, disturbing the public peace. — Breach of privilege, an act or default in violation of the privilege or either house of Parliament, of Congress, or of a State legislature, as, for instance, by false swearing before a committee. Mozley. Abbott. - Breach of promise, violation of one's plighted word, esp. of a promise to marry. — Breach of trust, violation of one's duty or faith in a matter entrusted to one.

Syn. — Rent; cleft; chasm; rift; aperture; gap; break; disruption; fracture; rupture; infraction; infringement; violation; quarrel; dispute; contention; difference; misunderstanding.

BREACH Breach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Breached ( ; p. pr. & vb. n. Breaching.]

Defn: To make a breach or opening in; as, to breach the walls of a city.

BREACH Breach, v. i.

Defn: To break the water, as by leaping out; — said of a whale.

BREACHY Breach"y, a.

Defn: Apt to break fences or to break out of pasture; unruly; as, breachy cattle.

BREAD Bread, v. t. Etym: [AS. brædan to make broad, to spread. See Broad, a.]

Defn: To spread. [Obs.] Ray.

BREAD Bread, n. Etym: [AS. breád; akin to OFries. brad, OS. br, D. brood, G. brod, brot, Icel. brau, Sw. & Dan. bröd. The root is probably that of E. brew. Brew.]

1. An article of food made from flour or meal by moistening, kneading, and baking.

Note: Raised bread is made with yeast, salt, and sometimes a little butter or lard, and is mixed with warm milk or water to form the dough, which, after kneading, is given time to rise before baking. — Cream of tartar bread is raised by the action of an alkaline carbonate or bicarbonate (as saleratus or ammonium bicarbonate) and cream of tartar (acid tartrate of potassium) or some acid. — Unleavened bread is usually mixed with water and salt only. Aërated bread. See under Aërated. Bread and butter (fig.), means of living. — Brown bread, Indian bread, Graham bread, Rye and Indian bread. See Brown bread, under Brown. — Bread tree. See Breadfruit.

2. Food; sustenance; support of life, in general. Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. vi. 11

BREAD Bread, v. t. (Cookery)

Defn: To cover with bread crumbs, preparatory to cooking; as, breaded cutlets.

BREADBASKET Bread"bas`ket, n.

Defn: The stomach. [Humorous] S. Foote.

BREADCORN Bread"corn`.

Defn: Corn of grain of which bread is made, as wheat, rye, etc.

BREADED Bread"ed, a.

Defn: Braided [Obs.] Spenser.

BREADEN Bread"en, a.

Defn: Made of bread. [R.]

BREADFRUIT Bread"fruit`, n. (Bot.)

1. The fruit of a tree (Artocarpus incisa) found in the islands of the Pacific, esp. the South Sea islands. It is of a roundish form, from four to six or seven inches in diameter, and, when baked, somewhat resembles bread, and is eaten as food, whence the name.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: The tree itself, which is one of considerable size, with large, lobed leaves. Cloth is made from the bark, and the timber is used for many purposes. Called also breadfruit tree and bread tree.

BREADLESS Bread"less, a.

Defn: Without bread; destitude of food. Plump peers and breadless bards alike are dull. P. Whitehead.

BREADROOT Bread`root", n. (Bot.)

Defn: The root of a leguminous plant (Psoralea esculenta), found near the Rocky Mountains. It is usually oval in form, and abounds in farinaceous matter, affording sweet and palatable food.

Note: It is the Pomme blanche of Canadian voyageurs.

BREADSTUFF Bread"stuff, n.

Defn: Grain, flour, or meal of which bread is made.

BREADTH Breadth, n. Etym: [OE. brede, breede, whence later bredette, AS. brbrad broad. See Broad, a.]

1. Distance from side to side of any surface or thing; measure across, or at right angles to the length; width.

2. (Fine Arts) The quality of having the colors and shadows broad and massive, and the arrangement of objects such as to avoid to great multiplicity of details, producing an impression of largeness and simple grandeur; — called also breadth of effect. Breadth of coloring is a prominent character in the painting of all great masters. Weale.

BREADTHLESS Breadth"less, a.

Defn: Without breadth.

BREADTHWAYS Breadth"ways, ads.

Defn: Breadthwise. Whewell.

BREADTHWISE Breadth"wise, ads.

Defn: In the direction of the breadth.

BREADWINNER Bread"win`ner, n.

Defn: The member of a family whose labor supplies the food of the family; one who works for his living. H. Spencer.

BREAK Break, v. t. [imp. broke, (Obs. Brake); p. p. Broken (, (Obs. Broke); p. pr. & vb. n. Breaking.] Etym: [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel.braka to creak, Sw. braka, bräkka to crack, Dan. brække 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. (a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition. (b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. — To break in. (a) To force in; as, to break in a door. (b) 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. (a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig. (b) 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. (a) 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. (b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. — To break up. (a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). "Break up this capon." Shak. "Break up your fallow ground." Jer. iv. 3. (b) 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. (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally. (b) 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 cover, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. — To break a deer or 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. (a) 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. (b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan. (c) (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 break 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.