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.) 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.) 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.) 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.) 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. 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) The mouth of a shaft. [Cornwall]
{Angle brace}. See under {Angle}.
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.) 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.