A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress.
The metallic end of a pocketknife handle.
A large cushion or pillow.
A small spacer located on top of the axle of horse-drawn wagons that gives the front wheels enough clearance to turn.
The perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation.
A short, horizontal structural timber between a post and a beam for enlarging the bearing area of the post and/or reducing the span of the beam.
The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital.
A beam in the middle of a railway truck, supporting the body of the car.
The part of a knife blade that abuts upon the end of the handle.
To brace, reinforce, secure, or support.
That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
Harness; warlike preparation.
A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
The state of being braced or tight; tension.
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.
A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
Two goals scored by one player in a game.
A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally (e.g., a brace of conies) and then other things, but rarely human persons. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.
A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {role, roll}; in music, used to connect staves.
A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
The mouth of a shaft.
To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.
To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
To confront with questions, demands or requests.
To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.
To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow.
To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.
To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more efficient sail surface to the direction of the wind.