Brace

How to spell brace

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce brace

What does brace mean?

1. verbTo prepare or steady oneself, or to support and make something firm against pressure.
2. nounA device that supports, strengthens, or holds parts firmly in position.
3. nounA pair of something, especially two birds taken in hunting.

Brace in a sentence

• verb

  The pilot told passengers to brace for a rough landing.

• noun

  The carpenter fitted a metal brace between the two roof beams.

• noun

  The gamekeeper returned with a brace of pheasants for the kitchen.

• verb

  Workers had to brace the scaffolding before the storm arrived.

• noun

  After the injury he wore a knee brace for several weeks.

• noun

  The striker scored a brace of goals before half time.

Where does brace come from?

Language of origin: French

This word travelled into English from Old French brace, meaning 'the two arms' or 'an armful', which itself came from the Latin bracchia, the plural of bracchium, meaning 'arm'. Because the arms are what grip, hold, and embrace, the word slid naturally from 'arms' to the idea of clasping, holding firm, and bracing something tight. English borrowed it in the 1300s, at first for a clasp or a pair of arms, and the meanings then branched out: a device that holds parts steady, the action of steadying oneself, and a 'brace' of game birds (a pair, since two were carried as if in the arms). The same Latin bracchium lies behind 'bracelet' (a small thing for the arm) and 'embrace' (to take into one's arms), which is a handy way to remember that the c is soft and the word ends in -ace, not -ase.

How the word is built

• brace (from Old French brace 'two arms', the arms being what holds or embraces something)