A Quick and Simple Dictionary

brace

1. Noun.  (obsolete) Armor for the arm; vambrace.
2. Noun.  (obsolete) A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.
3. Noun.  A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
4. Noun.  That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
5. Noun.  A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
6. Noun.  A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
7. Noun.  A vertical curved line or "curly bracket":  {  or  }  connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in (role, roll) ; or, in music, used to connect staves.
8. Noun.  A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally and then other things. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In (British) use (as (plural) ), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.
9. Noun.  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.
10. Noun.  (nautical) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
11. Noun.  The mouth of a shaft.
12. Noun.  (usually plural) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
13. Noun.  (usually plural) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
14. Noun.  (soccer) Two goals scored by one player in a game.
15. Verb.  To prepare for something bad, as an impact or blow. ''All hands, brace for impact!''.
16. Verb.  (nautical) 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.
17. Verb.  To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
18. Verb.  To confront with questions, demands or requests.