brace

brace
\ \ [14] English borrowed brace from Old French brace, which meant simply ‘(the length measured by) two arms’. It came from Latin bracchia, the plural of bracchiumarm’ (source of French brasarm’, and also of various English technical terms, such as brachiopod [19], a type of shellfish, literally ‘arm-foot’). The word’s ultimate source was Greek brakhíōnarm’, originally ‘upper arm’, which was formed from the comparative of brakhússhort’, a relative of English brief (the sense development is probably that the upper arm was named from being ‘shorter’ than the forearm). Of the rather diverse range of meanings the word has in modern English, ‘pair’ derives from the original notion of ‘twoness’, while ‘strengthening or supporting structure’ owes much to the idea of ‘clasping’, mainly contained originally in the verb brace [14], from Old French bracierput one’s arms around’ (a derivative of Old French brace). In English it now only means ‘support, strengthen’, the sense ‘clasp with the arms’ being reserved to embrace [14], from Old French embracer.
\ \ Cf.BRIEF, EMBRACE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Brace — may refer to:Medical* Brace (orthopaedic), a device used to restrict or assist body movement * Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine ** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal curvatures * Cervical collar …   Wikipedia

  • 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. [1913 Webster] 2. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Brace — Brace, n. [OF. brace, brasse, the two arms, embrace, fathom, F. brasse fathom, fr. L. bracchia the arms (stretched out), pl. of bracchium arm; cf. Gr. ?.] 1. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • brace — brace; brace·let; em·brace·able; em·brace·ment; em·brace·or; rere·brace; thor·ough·brace; un·brace; vam·brace; coun·ter·brace; em·brace; em·brace·ably; …   English syllables

  • Brace — Eddy Brace Rashid MacDonald (* 23. August 1986 in Surabaja, Indonesien) ist ein niederländisch surinamischer Sänger. Zu Beginn seiner Gesangskarriere nannte er sich Brayce. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • brace — ► NOUN 1) (braces) Brit. a pair of straps passing over the shoulders and fastening to the top of trousers to hold them up. 2) a strengthening or supporting piece or part. 3) a wire device fitted in the mouth to straighten the teeth. 4) (also… …   English terms dictionary

  • brace — brace1 [brās] vt. braced, bracing [ME bracen < OFr bracer, to brace, embrace < L brachia, pl. of brachium, an arm < Gr brachiōn, arm, upper arm < brachys, short (in contrast to the longer lower arm): see MERRY] 1. to tie or bind on… …   English World dictionary

  • brace — (ant. o region. brage, bragia, bracia) s.f. [dal germ. brasa ]. 1. [fuoco senza fiamma prodotto da legna o carboni accesi] ▶◀ (region.) brasa, (region.) brasca, (region.) carbonina, (region.) cinice, (region.) cinigia. ‖ tizzo, tizzone.… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • Brace — Brace, v. i. To get tone or vigor; to rouse one s energies; with up. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • brace — BRÁCE s. pl. v. indispensabili, izmene. Trimis de siveco, 13.09.2007. Sursa: Sinonime  bráce s.f. pl. – (Bucov., rar) Indispensabili. – var. braci, s.m. pl. lat. bracae (Candrea Dens., 173; DAR). Cuvînt practic nefolo …   Dicționar Român

  • brace — n *couple, pair, yoke brace vb *support, sustain, buttress, prop, bolster Analogous words: *strengthen, reinforce, fortify, energize, invigorate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”