Chapter 195

Bret"on (?) , a. [F. breton .] Of or relating to Brittany, or Bretagne, in France. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Brittany, or Bretagne, in France; also, the ancient language of Brittany; Armorican.

Brett <Xpage=179>

Brett (?) , n. Same as Britzska .

Brettice <Xpage=179>

Bret"tice (?) , n. ; pl. Brettices (#) . [OE. bretasce , bretage , parapet, OF. bretesche wooden tower, F. bret\'8ache , LL. breteschia , bertresca , prob. fr. OHG. bret , G. brett board; akin to E. board . See Board , n. , and cf. Bartizan .] The wooden boarding used in supporting the roofs and walls of coal mines. See Brattice .

Bretwalda <Xpage=179>

Bret"wal*da (?) , n. [AS. Bretwalda , br<?/ten walda , a powerful ruler.] (Eng. Hist.) The official title applied to that one of the Anglo-Saxon chieftains who was chosen by the other chiefs to lead them in their warfare against the British tribes.

Brande & C.

Bretzel <Xpage=179>

Bret"zel (?) , n. [G.] See Pretzel .

Breve <Xpage=179>

Breve (?) , n. [It. & (in sense 2) LL. breve , fr. L. brevis short. See Brief .] 1. (Mus.) A note or character of time, equivalent to two semibreves or four minims. When dotted, it is equal to three semibreves. It was formerly of a square figure (as thus: <?/ ), but is now made oval, with a line perpendicular to the staff on each of its sides; -- formerly much used for choir service.

Moore.

2. (Law) Any writ or precept under seal, issued out of any court.

3. (Print.) A curved mark [&breve;] used commonly to indicate the short quantity of a vowel.

4. (Zo\'94l.) The great ant thrush of Sumatra ( Pitta gigas ), which has a very short tail.

Brevet <Xpage=179>

Bre*vet" (?) , n. [F. brevet , LL. brevetum , fr. L. brevis short. See Brief .] 1. A warrant from the government, granting a privilege, title, or dignity. [French usage] .

2. (Mil.) A commission giving an officer higher rank than that for which he receives pay; an honorary promotion of an officer.

&hand; In the United States army, rank by brevet is conferred, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for "gallant actions or meritorious services." A brevet rank gives no right of command in the particular corps to which the officer brevetted belongs, and can be exercised only by special assignment of the President, or on court martial, and detachments composed of different corps, with pay of the brevet rank when on such duty.

<page="180"> Page 180

Brevet <Xpage=180>

Bre*vet" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Brevetted (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Brevetting .] (Mil.) To confer rank upon by brevet.

Brevet <Xpage=180>

Bre*vet" , a. (Mil.) Taking or conferring rank by brevet; as, a brevet colonel; a brevet commission.

Brevetcy <Xpage=180>

Bre*vet"cy (?) , n. ; pl. Brevetcies (<?/) . (Mil.) The rank or condition of a brevet officer.

Breviary <Xpage=180>

Bre"vi*a*ry (?) , n. ; pl. Breviaries (<?/) . [F. br\'82viarie , L. breviarium summary, abridgment, neut. noun fr. breviarius abridged, fr. brevis short. See Brief , and cf. Brevier .] 1. An abridgment; a compend; an epitome; a brief account or summary.

A book entitled the abridgment or breviary of those roots that are to be cut up or gathered. Holland.

2. A book containing the daily public or canonical prayers of the Roman Catholic or of the Greek Church for the seven canonical hours, namely, matins and lauds, the first, third, sixth, and ninth hours, vespers, and compline; -- distinguished from the missal .

Breviate <Xpage=180>

Bre"vi*ate (?) , n. [L. breviatus , p.p. of breviare to shorten, brevis short.] 1. A short compend; a summary; a brief statement.

I omit in this breviate to rehearse. Hakluyt.

The same little breviates of infidelity have . . . been published and dispersed with great activity. Bp. Porteus.

2. A lawyer's brief. [R.]

Hudibras.

Breviate <Xpage=180>

Bre"vi*ate (?) , v. t. To abbreviate. [Obs.]

Breviature <Xpage=180>

Bre"vi*a*ture (?) , n. An abbreviature; an abbreviation. [Obs.]

Johnson.

Brevier <Xpage=180>

Bre*vier" (?) , n. [Prob. from being originally used in printing a breviary . See Breviary .] (Print.) A size of type between bourgeous and minion.

&hand; This line is printed in brevier type. <?/

Breviloquence <Xpage=180>

Bre*vil"o*quence (?) , n. [L. breviloquentia .] A brief and pertinent mode of speaking. [R.]

Breviped <Xpage=180>

Brev"i*ped (?) , a. [L. brevis short + pes , pedis , foot: cf. F. br\'82vip\'8ade .] (Zo\'94l.) Having short legs. -- n. A breviped bird.

Brevipen <Xpage=180>

Brev"i*pen (?) , n. [L. brevis short + penna wing: cf. F. br\'82vipenne .] (Zo\'94l.) A brevipennate bird.

Brevipennate <Xpage=180>

Brev`i*pen"nate (?) , a. [L. brevis short + E. pennate .] (Zo\'94l.) Short-winged; -- applied to birds which can not fly, owing to their short wings, as the ostrich, cassowary, and emu.

Brevirostral, Brevirostrate <Xpage=180>

Brev`i*ros"tral (?) , Brev`i*ros"trate (?) , a. [L. brevis short + E. rostral , rostrate .] (Zo\'94l.) Short-billed; having a short beak.

Brevity <Xpage=180>

Brev"i*ty (?) , n. ; pl. Brevities (#) . [L. brevitas , fr. brevis short: cf. F. bri\'8avit\'82 . See Brief .] 1. Shortness of duration; briefness of time; as, the brevity of human life .

2. Contraction into few words; conciseness.

Brevity is the soul of wit. Shak.

This argument is stated by St. John with his usual elegant brevity and simplicity. Bp. Porteus.

Syn. -- Shortness; conciseness; succinctness; terseness.

Brew <Xpage=180>

Brew (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Brewed (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Brewing .] [OE. brewen , AS. bre\'a2wan ; akin to D. brouwen , OHG. priuwan , MHG. briuwen , br<?/wen , G. brauen , Icel. brugga , Sw. brygga , Dan. brygge , and perh. to L. defrutum must boiled down, Gr. <?/ (for <?/?) a kind of beer. The original meaning seems to have been to prepare by heat . &root;93. Cf. Broth , Bread .] 1. To boil or seethe; to cook. [Obs.]

2. To prepare, as beer or other liquor, from malt and hops, or from other materials, by steeping, boiling, and fermentation. "She brews good ale."

Shak.

3. To prepare by steeping and mingling; to concoct.

Go, brew me a pottle of sack finely. Shak.

4. To foment or prepare, as by brewing; to contrive; to plot; to concoct; to hatch; as, to brew mischief .

Hence with thy brewed enchantments, foul deceiver! Milton.

Brew <Xpage=180>

Brew (?) , v. i. 1. To attend to the business, or go through the processes, of brewing or making beer.

I wash, wring, brew , bake, scour. Shak.

2. To be in a state of preparation; to be mixing, forming, or gathering; as, a storm brews in the west .

There is some ill a- brewing towards my rest. Shak.

Brew <Xpage=180>

Brew (?) , n. The mixture formed by brewing; that which is brewed.

Bacon.

Brewage <Xpage=180>

Brew"age (?) , n. Malt liquor; drink brewed. "Some well-spiced brewage ."

Milton.

A rich brewage , made of the best Spanish wine. Macaulay.

Brewer <Xpage=180>

Brew"er (?) , n. One who brews; one whose occupation is to prepare malt liquors.

Brewery <Xpage=180>

Brew"er*y (?) , n. A brewhouse; the building and apparatus where brewing is carried on.

Brewhouse <Xpage=180>

Brew"house` (?) , n. A house or building appropriated to brewing; a brewery.

Brewing <Xpage=180>

Brew"ing (?) , n. 1. The act or process of preparing liquors which are brewed, as beer and ale.

2. The quantity brewed at once.

A brewing of new beer, set by old beer. Bacon.

3. A mixing together.

I am not able to avouch anything for certainty, such a brewing and sophistication of them they make. Holland.

4. (Naut.) A gathering or forming of a storm or squall, indicated by thick, dark clouds.

Brewis <Xpage=180>

Brew"is (?) , n. [OE. brewis , brouwys , browesse , brewet , OF. brouet , -s being the OF. ending of the nom. sing. and acc. pl.; dim. of OHG. brod . &root;93. See Broth , and cf. Brose .] 1. Broth or pottage. [Obs.]

Let them of their Bonner's "beef" and "broth" make what brewis they please for their credulous guests. Bp. Hall.

2. Bread soaked in broth, drippings of roast meat, milk, or water and butter.

Brewsterite <Xpage=180>

Brews"ter*ite (?) , n. [Named after Sir David Brewster .] A rare zeolitic mineral occurring in white monoclinic crystals with pearly luster. It is a hydrous silicate of aluminia, baryta, and strontia.

Brezilin <Xpage=180>

Brez"i*lin (?) , n. See Brazilin .

Briar <Xpage=180>

Bri"ar (?) , n. Same as Brier .

Briarean <Xpage=180>

Bri*a"re*an (?) , a. [L. Briareius , fr. Briareus a mythological hundred-handed giant, Gr. <?/, fr. <?/ strong.] Pertaining to, or resembling, Briareus, a giant fabled to have a hundred hands; hence, hundred-handed or many-handed.

Bribable <Xpage=180>

Brib"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being bribed.

A more bribable class of electors. S. Edwards.

Bribe <Xpage=180>

Bribe (?) , n. [F. bribe a lump of bread, scraps, leavings of meals (that are generally given to a beggar), LL. briba scrap of bread; cf. OF. briber , brifer , to eat gluttonously, to beg, and OHG. bilibi food.] 1. A gift begged; a present. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

2. A price, reward, gift, or favor bestowed or promised with a view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct of a judge, witness, voter, or other person in a position of trust.

Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe . Hobart.

3. That which seduces; seduction; allurement.

Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these ever<?/blooming sweets. Akenside.

Bribe <Xpage=180>

Bribe , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bribed (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bribing .] 1. To rob or steal. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

2. To give or promise a reward or consideration to (a judge, juror, legislator, voter, or other person in a position of trust) with a view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct; to induce or influence by a bribe; to give a bribe to.

Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his conscience. F. W. Robertson.

3. To gain by a bribe; of induce as by a bribe.

Bribe <Xpage=180>

Bribe , v. i. 1. To commit robbery or theft. [Obs.]

2. To give a bribe to a person; to pervert the judgment or corrupt the action of a person in a position of trust, by some gift or promise.

An attempt to bribe , though unsuccessful, has been holden to be criminal, and the offender may be indicted. Bouvier.

The bard may supplicate, but cannot bribe . Goldsmith.

Bribeless <Xpage=180>

Bribe"less , a. Incapable of being bribed; free from bribes.

From thence to heaven's bribeless hall. Sir W. Raleigh.

Bribeer <Xpage=180>

Bribe"er (?) , n. 1. A thief. [Obs.]

Lydgate.

2. One who bribes, or pays for corrupt practices.

3. That which bribes; a bribe.

His service . . . were a sufficient briber for his life. Shak.

Bribeery <Xpage=180>

Bribe"er*y (?) , n. ; pl. Briberies (#) . [OE. brybery rascality, OF. briberie . See Bribe , n. ] 1. Robbery; extortion. [Obs.]

2. The act or practice of giving or taking bribes; the act of influencing the official or political action of another by corrupt inducements.

Bribery oath , an oath taken by a person that he has not been bribed as to voting. [Eng.]

Bric-a brac <Xpage=180>

Bric"-a brac` (?) , n. [F.] Miscellaneous curiosities and works of decorative art, considered collectively.

A piece of bric-a-brac , any curious or antique article of virtu, as a piece of antiquated furniture or metal work, or an odd knickknack.

Brick <Xpage=180>

Brick (?) , n. [OE. brik , F. brique ; of Ger. origin; cf. AS. brice a breaking, fragment, Prov. E. brique piece, brique de pain , equiv. to AS. hl\'befes brice , fr. the root of E. break . See Break .] 1. A block or clay tempered with water, sand, etc., molded into a regular form, usually rectangular, and sun-dried, or burnt in a kiln, or in a heap or stack called a clamp.

The Assyrians appear to have made much less use of bricks baked in the furnace than the Babylonians. Layard.

2. Bricks, collectively, as designating that kind of material; as, a load of brick ; a thousand of brick .

Some of Palladio's finest examples are of brick . Weale.

3. Any oblong rectangular mass; as, a brick of maple sugar; a penny brick (of bread).

4. A good fellow; a merry person; as, you 're a brick . [Slang] "He 's a dear little brick ."

Thackeray.

To have a brick in one's hat , to be drunk. [Slang]

&hand; Brick is used adjectively or in combination; as, brick wall; brick clay; brick color; brick red.

Brick clay , clay suitable for, or used in making, bricks. -- Brick dust , dust of pounded or broken bricks. -- Brick earth , clay or earth suitable for, or used in making, bricks. -- Brick loaf , a loaf of bread somewhat resembling a brick in shape. -- Brick nogging ( A rch .) , rough brickwork used to fill in the spaces between the uprights of a wooden partition; brick filling. -- Brick tea , tea leaves and young shoots, or refuse tea, steamed or mixed with fat, etc., and pressed into the form of bricks. It is used in Northern and Central Asia. S. W. Williams . -- Brick trimmer (Arch.) , a brick arch under a hearth, usually within the thickness of a wooden floor, to guard against accidents by fire. -- Brick trowel . See Trowel . -- Brick works , a place where bricks are made. -- Bath brick . See under Bath , a city. -- Pressed brick , bricks which, before burning, have been subjected to pressure, to free them from the imperfections of shape and texture which are common in molded bricks.

Brick <Xpage=180>

Brick , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bricked (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bricking .] 1. To lay or pave with bricks; to surround, line, or construct with bricks.

2. To imitate or counterfeit a brick wall on, as by smearing plaster with red ocher, making the joints with an edge tool, and pointing them.

To brick up , to fill up, inclose, or line, with brick.

Brickbat <Xpage=180>

Brick"bat` (?) , n. A piece or fragment of a brick. See Bat , 4.

Bacon.

Brickkiln <Xpage=180>

Brick"kiln` (?) , n. A kiln, or furnace, in which bricks are baked or burnt; or a pile of green bricks, laid loose, with arches underneath to receive the wood or fuel for burning them.

Bricklayer <Xpage=180>

Brick"lay`er (?) , n. [ Brick + lay .] One whose pccupation is to build with bricks.

Bricklayer's itch . See under Itch .

Bricklaying <Xpage=180>

Brick"lay`ing , n. The art of building with bricks, or of uniting them by cement or mortar into various forms; the act or occupation of laying bricks.

Brickle <Xpage=180>

Bric"kle (?) , a. [OE. brekil , brokel , bruchel , fr. AS. brecan , E. break . Cf. Brittle .] Brittle; easily broken. [Obs. or Prov.]

Spenser.

As stubborn steel excels the brickle glass. Turbervile.

Brickleness <Xpage=180>

Bric"kle*ness , n. Brittleness. [Obs.]

Brickmaker <Xpage=180>

Brick"mak`er (?) , n. One whose occupation is to make bricks. -- Brick"mak*ing , n.

Brickwork <Xpage=180>

Brick"work` (?) , n. 1. Anything made of bricks.

Niches in brickwork form the most difficult part of the bricklayer's art. Tomlinson.

2. The act of building with or laying bricks.

Bricky <Xpage=180>

Brick"y (?) , a. Full of bricks; formed of bricks; resembling bricks or brick dust. [R.]

Spenser.

Brickyard <Xpage=180>

Brick"yard` (?) , n. A place where bricks are made, especially an inclosed place.

Bricole <Xpage=180>

Bri*cole" (?) , n. [F.] (Mil.) A kind of traces with hooks and rings, with which men drag and maneuver guns where horses can not be used.

Brid <Xpage=180>

Brid (?) , n. A bird. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Bridal <Xpage=180>

Brid"al (?) , a. [From Bride . Cf. Bridal , n. ] Of or pertaining to a bride, or to wedding; nuptial; as, bridal ornaments; a bridal outfit; a bridal chamber.

Bridal <Xpage=180>

Brid"al , n. [OE. bridale , brudale , AS. br<?/dealo brideale, bridal feast. See Bride , and Ale , 2.] A nuptia; festival or ceremony; a marriage.

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the earth and sky. Herbert.

Bridalty <Xpage=180>

Brid"al*ty (?) , n. Celebration of the nuptial feast. [Obs.] "In honor of this bridalty ."

B. Jonson.

Bride <Xpage=180>