Chapter 189

Brack"ish (?) , a. [See Brack salt water.] Saltish, or salt in a moderate degree, as water in saline soil.

Springs in deserts found seem sweet, all brackish though they be. Byron.

Brackishness <Xpage=174>

Brack"ish*ness , n. The quality or state of being brackish, or somewhat salt.

Bracky <Xpage=174>

Brack"y (?) , a. Brackish.

Drayton.

Bract <Xpage=174>

Bract (?) , n. [See Bractea .] (Bot.) (a) A leaf, usually smaller than the true leaves of a plant, from the axil of which a flower stalk arises. (b) Any modified leaf, or scale, on a flower stalk or at the base of a flower.

&hand; Bracts are often inconspicuous, but sometimes large and showy, or highly colored, as in many cactaceous plants. The spathes of aroid plants are conspicuous forms of bracts.

Bractea <Xpage=174>

Brac"te*a (?) , n. [L., a thin plate of metal or wood, gold foil.] (Bot.) A bract.

Bracteal <Xpage=174>

Brac"te*al (?) , a. [Cf.F. bract\'82al .] Having the nature or appearance of a bract.

Bracteate <Xpage=174>

Brac"te*ate (?) , a. [Cf.L. bracteatus covered with gold plate.] (Bot.) Having a bract or bracts.

Bracted <Xpage=174>

Bract"ed (?) , a. (Bot.) Furnished with bracts.

Bracteolate <Xpage=174>

Brac"te*o*late (?) , a. (Bot.) Furnished with bracteoles or bractlets.

Bracteole <Xpage=174>

Brac"te*ole (?) , n. [L. bracteola , dim. of bractea . See Bractea .] (Bot.) Same as Bractlet .

Bractless <Xpage=174>

Bract"less , a. (Bot.) Destitute of bracts.

Bractlet <Xpage=174>

Bract"let (?) , n. [ Bract + -let ] (Bot.) A bract on the stalk of a single flower, which is itself on a main stalk that support several flowers.

Gray.

Brad <Xpage=174>

Brad (?) , n. [Cf.OE. brod , Dan. braad prick, sting, brodde ice spur, frost nail, Sw. brodd frost nail, Icel. broddr any pointed piece of iron or stell; akin to AS. brord point, spire of grass, and perh. to E. bristle . See Bristle , n. ] A thin nail, usually small, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head; also, a small wire nail, with a flat circular head; sometimes, a small, tapering, square-bodied finishing nail, with a countersunk head.

Brad awl <Xpage=174>

Brad" awl` (?) . A straight awl with chisel edge, used to make holes for brads, etc.

Weale.

Bradoon <Xpage=174>

Bra*doon" (?) , n. Same as Bridoon .

Brae <Xpage=174>

Brae (?) , n. [See Bray a hill.] A hillside; a slope; a bank; a hill. [Scot.]

Burns.

Brag <Xpage=174>

Brag (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Bragged (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n . Bragging .] [OE. braggen to resound, blow, boast (cf. F. braguer to lead a merry life, flaunt, boast, OF. brague merriment), from Icel. braka to creak, brak noise, fr. the same root as E. break ; properly then, to make a noise, boast. <?/ 95 .] To talk about one's self, or things pertaining to one's self, in a manner intended to excite admiration, envy, or wonder; to talk boastfully; to boast; -- often followed by of ; as, to brag of one's exploits, courage, or money, or of the great things one intends to do .

Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, Brags of his substance, not of ornament. Shak.

Syn. -- To swagger; boast; vapor; bluster; vaunt; flourish; talk big.

Brag <Xpage=174>

Brag , v. t. To boast of. [Obs.]

Shak.

Brag <Xpage=174>

Brag , n. 1. A boast or boasting; bragging; ostentatious pretense or self glorification.

C\'91sar . . . made not here his brag Of "came," and "saw," and "overcame." Shak.

2. The thing which is boasted of.

Beauty is Nature's brag . Milton.

3. A game at cards similar to bluff.

Chesterfield.

Brag <Xpage=174>

Brag (?) , a. [See Brag , v. i. ] Brisk; full of spirits; boasting; pretentious; conceited. [Arhaic]

A brag young fellow. B. Jonson.

Brag <Xpage=174>

Brag , adv. Proudly; boastfully. [Obs.]

Fuller.

Braggadocio <Xpage=174>

Brag`ga*do"cio (?) , n. [From Braggadocchio , a boastful character in Spenser's "Fa\'89rie Queene."]

1. A braggart; a boaster; a swaggerer.

Dryden.

2. Empty boasting; mere brag; pretension.

Braggardism <Xpage=174>

Brag"gard*ism (?) , n. [See Braggart .] Boastfulness; act of bragging.

Shak.

Braggart <Xpage=174>

Brag"gart (?) , n. [OF. bragard flaunting, vain, bragging. See Brag , v. i. ] A boaster.

O, I could play the woman with mine eyes, And braggart with my tongue. Shak.

Braggart <Xpage=174>

Brag"gart , a. Boastful. -- Brag"gart*ly , adv.

Bragger <Xpage=174>

Brag"ger (?) , n. One who brags; a boaster.

Bragget <Xpage=174>

Brag"get (?) , n. [OE. braket , bragot , fr. W. bragawd , bragod , fr. brag malt.] A liquor made of ale and honey fermented, with spices, etc. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Braggingly <Xpage=174>

Brag"ging`ly (?) , adv. Boastingly.

Bragless <Xpage=174>

Brag"less , a. Without bragging. [R.]

Shak.

Bragly <Xpage=174>

Brag"ly , adv. In a manner to be bragged of; finely; proudly. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Brahma <Xpage=174>

Brah"ma (?) , n. [See Brahman .]

1. (Hindoo Myth.) The One First Cause; also, one of the triad of Hindoo gods. The triad consists of Brahma , the Creator, Vishnu , the Preserver, and Siva , the Destroyer.

&hand; According to the Hindoo religious books, Brahma (with the final a short), or Brahm , is the Divine Essence, the One First Cause, the All in All, while the personal gods, Brahm\'a0 (with the final a long), Vishnu, and Siva, are emanations or manifestations of Brahma the Divine Essence.

2. (Zo\'94l.) A valuable variety of large, domestic fowl, peculiar in having the comb divided lengthwise into three parts, and the legs well feathered. There are two breeds, the dark or penciled, and the light; -- called also Brahmapootra .

Brahman, Brahmin <Xpage=174>

Brah"man (?) , Brah"min (?) , n. ; pl. Brahmans , Brahmins . [Skr. Br\'behmana (cf. Brahman worship, holiness; the God Brahma, also Brahman): cf. F. Brahmane , Brachmane , Bramine , L. Brachmanae , -manes , -mani , pl., Gr. <?/, pl.] A person of the highest or sacerdotal caste among the Hindoos.

Brahman bull (Zo\'94l.) , the male of a variety of the zebu, or Indian ox, considered sacred by the Hindoos.

Brahmaness <Xpage=174>

Brah"man*ess (?) , n. A Brahmani.

Brahmani <Xpage=174>

Brah"man*i (?) , n. [Fem. of Brahman .] Any Brahman woman. [Written also Brahmanee .]

Brahmanic, -ical, Brahminic </, ical <Xpage=174>

Brah*man"ic (?) , -ic*al (?) , Brah*min"ic (<?/) , *ic*al (<?/) , a. Of or pertaining to the Brahmans or to their doctrines and worship.

Brahmanism, Brahminism <Xpage=174>

Brah"man*ism (?) , Brah"min*ism (?) , n. The religion or system of doctrines of the Brahmans; the religion of Brahma.

Brahmanist, Brahminist <Xpage=174>

Brah"man*ist (?) , Brah"min*ist (?) , n. An adherent of the religion of the Brahmans.

Brahmoism <Xpage=174>

Brah"mo*ism (?) , n. The religious system of Brahmo-somaj.

Balfour.

Brahmo-somaj <Xpage=174>

Brah`mo-so*maj" (?) , n. [Bengalese, a wor<?/hiping assembly.] A modern reforming theistic sect among the Hindos. [Written also Brahma-samaj .]

Braid <Xpage=174>

Braid (?) , v. t. [ imp. &. p. p. Braided ; p. pr. & vb. n. Braiding .] [OE. braiden , breiden , to pull, reach, braid, AS. bregdan to move to and fro, to weave; akin. to Icel. breg<?/a , D. breiden to knit, OS. bregdan to weave, OHG. brettan to brandish. Cf. Broid .]

1. To weave, interlace, or entwine together, as three or more strands or threads; to form into a braid; to plait.

Braid your locks with rosy twine. Milton.

2. To mingle, or to bring to a uniformly soft consistence, by beating, rubbing, or straining, as in some culinary operations.

3. To reproach. [Obs.] See Upbraid .

Shak.

Braid <Xpage=174>

Braid (?) , n. 1. A plait, band, or narrow fabric formed by intertwining or weaving together different strands.

A braid of hair composed of two different colors twined together. Scott.

2. A narrow fabric, as of wool, silk, or linen, used for binding, trimming, or ornamenting dresses, etc.

Braid <Xpage=174>

Braid , n. [Cf.Icel. breg<?/a to move quickly.]

1. A quick motion; a start. [Obs.]

Sackville.

2. A fancy; freak; caprice. [Obs.]

R. Hyrde.

Braid <Xpage=174>

Braid v. i. To start; to awake. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Braid <Xpage=174>

Braid , a. [AS. br\'91d , bred , deceit; akin to Icel. brag<?/ trick, AS. bredan , bregdan , to braid, knit, (hence) to knit a net, to draw into a net, i . e ., to deceive. See Braid , v. t. ] Deceitful. [Obs.]

Since Frenchmen are so braid , Marry that will, I live and die a maid. Shak.

Braiding <Xpage=174>

Braid"ing , n. 1. The act of making or using braids.

2. Braids, collectively; trimming.

A gentleman enveloped in mustachios, whiskers, fur collars, and braiding . Thackeray.

Brail <Xpage=174>

Brail (?) , n. [OE. brayle furling rope, OF. braiol a band placed around the breeches, fr.F. braies , pl., breeches, fr.L. braca , bracae , breeches, a Gallic word; cf. Arm. bragez . Cf. Breeches .]

1. (Falconry) A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing.

2. pl. (Naut.) Ropes passing through pulleys, and used to haul in or up the leeches, bottoms, or corners of sails, preparatory to furling.

3. A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched.

Brail <Xpage=174>

Brail , v. t. (Naut.) To haul up by the brails; -- used with up ; as, to brail up a sail .

Brain <Xpage=174>

Brain (?) , n. [OE. brain , brein , AS. bragen , br\'91gen ; akin to LG. br\'84gen , bregen , D. brein , and perh. to Gr. <?/, the upper part of head, if <?/ =<?/ <?/ 95 .]

1. (Anat.) The whitish mass of soft matter (the center of the nervous system, and the seat of consciousness and volition) which is inclosed in the cartilaginous or bony cranium of vertebrate animals. It is simply the anterior termination of the spinal cord, and is developed from three embryonic vesicles, whose cavities are connected with the central canal of the cord; the cavities of the vesicles become the central cavities, or ventricles, and the walls thicken unequally and become the three segments, the fore-, mid-, and hind-brain.

&hand; In the brain of man the cerebral lobes, or largest part of the forebrain, are enormously developed so as to overhang the cerebellum, the great lobe of the hindbrain, and completely cover the lobes of the midbrain. The surface of the cerebrum is divided into irregular ridges, or convolutions, separated by grooves (the so-called fissures and sulci), and the two hemispheres are connected at the bottom of the longitudinal fissure by a great transverse band of nervous matter, the corpus callosum , while the two halves of the cerebellum are connected on the under side of the brain by the bridge, or pons Varolii .

2. (Zo\'94l.) The anterior or cephalic ganglion in insects and other invertebrates.

3. The organ or seat of intellect; hence, the understanding. " My brain is too dull."

Sir W. Scott.

&hand; In this sense, often used in the plural.

4. The affections; fancy; imagination. [R.]

Shak.

To have on the brain , to have constantly in one's thoughts, as a sort of monomania. [Low]

Brain box &or; case , the bony on cartilaginous case inclosing the brain. -- Brain coral , Brain stone coral (Zo\'94l) , a massive reef-building coral having the surface covered by ridges separated by furrows so as to resemble somewhat the surface of the brain, esp. such corals of the genera M\'91andrina and Diploria . -- Brain fag (Med.) , brain weariness. See Cerebropathy . -- Brain fever (Med.) , fever in which the brain is specially affected; any acute cerebral affection attended by fever. -- Brain sand , calcareous matter found in the pineal gland.

Brain <Xpage=174>

Brain (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Brained (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Braining .]

1. To dash out the brains of; to kill by beating out the brains. Hence, Fig.: To destroy; to put an end to; to defeat.

There thou mayst brain him. Shak.

It was the swift celerity of the death . . . That brained my purpose. Shak.

2. To conceive; to understand. [Obs.]

<?/T is still a dream, or else such stuff as madmen Tongue, and brain not. Shak.

Brained <Xpage=174>

Brained (?) , p.a. Supplied with brains.

If th' other two be brained like us. Shak.

Brainish <Xpage=174>

Brain"ish , a. Hot-headed; furious. [R.]

Shak.

Brainless <Xpage=174>

Brain"less , a. Without understanding; silly; thougthless; witless. -- Brain"less*ness , n.

Brainpan <Xpage=174>

Brain"pan` (?) , n. [ Brain + pan .] The bones which inclose the brain; the skull; the cranium.

Brainsick <Xpage=174>

Brain"sick` (?) , a. Disordered in the understanding; giddy; thoughtless. -- Brain"sick*ness , n.

Brainsickly <Xpage=174>

Brain"sick`ly , adv. In a brainsick manner.

Brainy <Xpage=174>

Brain"y (?) , a. Having an active or vigorous mind. [Colloq.]

Braise, Braize <Xpage=174>

Braise , Braize (?) , n. [So called from its iridescent colors.] (Zo\'94l.) A European marine fish ( Pagrus vulgaris ) allied to the American scup; the becker. The name is sometimes applied to the related species. [Also written brazier .]

Braise, Braize <Xpage=174>

Braise , Braize , n. [F.] 1. Charcoal powder; breeze.

2. (Cookery) Braised meat.

Braise <Xpage=174>

Braise , v. t. [F. braiser , fr. braise coals.] (Cookery) To stew or broil in a covered kettle or pan.

A braising kettle has a deep cover which holds coals; consequently the cooking is done from above, as well as below. Mrs. Henderson.

Braiser <Xpage=174>

Brais"er (?) , n. A kettle or pan for braising.

Brait <Xpage=174>

Brait (?) , n. [Cf.W. braith variegated, Ir. breath , breagh , fine, comely.] A rough diamond.

Braize <Xpage=174>

Braize (?) , n. See Braise .

Brake <Xpage=174>

Brake (?) , imp. of Break . [Arhaic]

Tennyson.

Brake <Xpage=174>

Brake , n. [OE. brake fern; cf. AS. bracce fern, LG. brake willow bush, Da. bregne fern, G. brach fallow; prob. orig. the growth on rough, broken ground, fr. the root of E. break . See Break , v. t. , cf. Bracken , and 2d Brake , n. ]

1. (Bot.) A fern of the genus Pteris , esp. the P . aquilina , common in almost all countries. It has solitary stems dividing into three principal branches. Less properly: Any fern.

2. A thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with undergrowth and ferns, or with canes.

Rounds rising hillocks, brakes obscure and rough, To shelter thee from tempest and from rain. Shak.

He stayed not for brake , and he stopped not for stone . Sir W. Scott.

Cane brake , a thicket of canes. See Canebrake .

<page="175"> Page 175

Brake <Xpage=175>

Brake (?) , n. [OE. brake ; cf. LG. brake an instrument for breaking flax, G. breche , fr. the root of E. break . See Break , v. t. , and cf. Breach .] 1. An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.

2. An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine.

3. A baker's kneading though.

Johnson.

4. A sharp bit or snaffle.

Pampered jades . . . which need nor break nor bit. Gascoigne.

5. A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.

A horse . . . which Philip had bought . . . and because of his fierceness kept him within a brake of iron bars. J. Brende.

6. That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.

7. (Mil.) An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.

8. (Agric.) A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag.

9. A piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction, as of a carriage or railway car, by the pressure of rubbers against the wheels, or of clogs or ratchets against the track or roadway, or of a pivoted lever against a wheel or drum in a machine.

10. (Engin.) An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine, or other motor, by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will overcome; a friction brake.

11. A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.

12. An ancient instrument of torture.

Holinshed.