Bracelet Brace"let noun [ French bracelet , dim. of Old French bracel armlet, prop. little arm, dim. of bras arm, from Latin bracchium . See Brace , noun ] 1. An ornamental band or ring, for the wrist or the arm; in modern times, an ornament encircling the wrist, worn by women or girls. 2. A piece of defensive armor for the arm. Johnson.

Bracer Bra"cer noun 1. That which braces, binds, or makes firm; a band or bandage. 2. A covering to protect the arm of the bowman from the vibration of the string; also, a brassart. Chaucer. 3. A medicine, as an astringent or a tonic, which gives tension or tone to any part of the body. Johnson.

Brach Brach (brăk) noun [ Middle English brache a kind of scenting hound or setting dog, Old French brache , French braque , from Old High German braccho , German bracke ; possibly akin to English fragrant , from Latin fragrare to smell.] A bitch of the hound kind. Shak.

Brachelytra Brach·el"y·tra noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek short + ... a covering.] (Zoology) A group of beetles having short elytra, as the rove beetles.

Brachia Brach"i·a noun plural See Brachium .

Brachial Brach"i·al or adjective [ Latin brachialis ( bracch -), from bracchium ( bracch -) arm: confer French brachial .] 1. (Anat.) Pertaining or belonging to the arm; as, the brachial artery; the brachial nerve. 2. Of the nature of an arm; resembling an arm.

Brachiata Brach`i·a"ta noun plural [ See Brachiate .] (Zoology) A division of the Crinoidea, including those furnished with long jointed arms. See Crinoidea .

Brachiate Brach"i·ate adjective [ Latin brachiatus ( bracch -) with boughs or branches like arms, from brackium ( bracch -) arm.] (Botany) Having branches in pairs, decussated, all nearly horizontal, and each pair at right angles with the next, as in the maple and lilac.

Brachioganoid Brach`i·og"a·noid noun One of the Brachioganoidei.

Brachioganoidei Brach`i·o·ga·noid"e·i noun plural [ New Latin , from Latin brachium ( bracch -) arm + New Latin ganoidei .] (Zoology) An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example. See Crossopterygii .

Brachiolaria Brach`i·o·la"ri·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Latin brachiolum ( bracch -), dim. of brachium ( bracch -) arm.] (Zoology) A peculiar early larval stage of certain starfishes, having a bilateral structure, and swimming by means of bands of vibrating cilia.

Brachiopod Brach"i·o·pod noun [ Confer F. brachiopode .] (Zoology) One of the Brachiopoda, or its shell.

Brachiopoda Brach`i·op"o·da noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... arm + -poda .] (Zoology) A class of Molluscoidea having a symmetrical bivalve shell, often attached by a fleshy peduncle. » Within the shell is a pair of "arms," often long and spirally coiled, bearing rows of ciliated tentacles by which a current of water is made to flow into the mantle cavity, bringing the microscopic food to the mouth between the bases of the arms. The shell is both opened and closed by special muscles. They form two orders; Lyopoma , in which the shell is thin, and without a distinct hinge, as in Lingula ; and Arthropoma , in which the firm calcareous shell has a regular hinge, as in Rhynchonella . See Arthropomata .

Brachium Brach"i·um noun ; plural Bracchia [ Latin brachium or bracchium , arm.] (Anat.) The upper arm; the segment of the fore limb between the shoulder and the elbow.

Brachman Brach"man noun [ Latin Brachmanae , plural, Greek ....] See Brahman . [ Obsolete]

Brachycatalectic Brach`y·cat`a·lec"tic noun [ Greek ...; brachy`s short + ... to leave off; confer ... incomplete.] (Gr. & Last. Pros.) A verse wanting two syllables at its termination.

Brachycephalic, Brachycephalous Brach`y·ce·phal"ic, Brach`y·ceph"a·lous adjective [ Greek brachy`s short + ... head.] (Anat.) Having the skull short in proportion to its breadth; shortheaded; -- in distinction from dolichocephalic .

Brachycephaly, Brachycephalism Brach`y·ceph"a·ly, Brach`y·ceph"a·lism noun [ Confer French Brachycéphalie ] . (Anat.) The state or condition of being brachycephalic; shortness of head.

Brachyceral Bra·chyc"er·al adjective [ Greek brachy`s short + ... horn.] (Zoology) Having short antennæ, as certain insects.

Brachydiagonal Brach`y·di·ag"o·nal adjective [ Greek brachy`s short + English diagonal .] Pertaining to the shorter diagonal, as of a rhombic prism. Brachydiagonal axis , the shorter lateral axis of an orthorhombic crystal.

Brachydiagonal Brach`y·di·ag"o·nal noun The shorter of the diagonals in a rhombic prism.

Brachydome Brach`y·dome noun [ Greek brachy`s short + English dome .] (Crystallog.) A dome parallel to the shorter lateral axis. See Dome .

Brachygrapher Bra·chyg"ra·pher noun A writer in short hand; a stenographer.

He asked the brachygrapher whether he wrote the notes of the sermon.
Gayton.

Brachygraphy Bra·chyg"ra·phy noun [ Greek brachy`s short + -graphy : confer French brachygraphie .] Stenography. B. Jonson.

Brachylogy Bra·chyl"o·gy noun [ Greek ... : brachy`s short + ... discourse: confer French brachylogie .] (Rhet.) Conciseness of expression; brevity.

Brachypinacoid Brach`y·pin"a·coid noun [ Greek brachy`s short + English pinacoid .] (Crytallog.) A plane of an orthorhombic crystal which is parallel both to the vertical axis and to the shorter lateral (brachydiagonal) axis.

Brachyptera Bra·chyp"te·ra noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... short-winged; brachy`s short + ... feather, wing.] (Zoology) A group of Coleoptera having short wings; the rove beetles.

Brachypteres Bra·chyp"te·res noun pl. [ New Latin See Brachyptera . ] (Zoology) A group of birds, including auks, divers, and penguins.

Brachypterous Bra·chyp"ter·ous adjective [ Greek ... : confer French brachyptère .] (Zoology) Having short wings.

Brachystochrone Bra·chys"to·chrone noun [ Incorrect for brachistochrone , from Greek bra`chistos shortest (superl. of brachy`s short) + ... time : confer French brachistochrone . ] (Math.) A curve, in which a body, starting from a given point, and descending solely by the force of gravity, will reach another given point in a shorter time than it could by any other path. This curve of quickest descent , as it is sometimes called, is, in a vacuum, the same as the cycloid .

Brachytypous Brach"y·ty`pous adjective [ Greek ... short + ... stamp, form.] (Min.) Of a short form.

Brachyura Brach`y·u"ra noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek brachy`s short + ... tail.] (Zoology) A group of decapod Crustacea, including the common crabs, characterized by a small and short abdomen, which is bent up beneath the large cephalo-thorax. [ Also spelt Brachyoura .] See Crab , and Illustration in Appendix.

Brachyural, Brachyurous Brach`y·u"ral, Brach`y·u"rous adjective [ Confer French brachyure .] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Brachyura.

Brachyuran Brach`y·u"ran noun One of the Brachyura.

Bracing Bra"cing adjective Imparting strength or tone; strengthening; invigorating; as, a bracing north wind.

Bracing Bra"cing noun 1. The act of strengthening, supporting, or propping, with a brace or braces; the state of being braced. 2. (Engineering) Any system of braces; braces, collectively; as, the bracing of a truss.

Brack Brack (brăk) noun [ Confer D. braak , Danish bræk , a breaking, Swedish & Icelandic brak a crackling, creaking. Confer Breach .] An opening caused by the parting of any solid body; a crack or breach; a flaw.

Stain or brack in her sweet reputation.
J. Fletcher.

Brack Brack noun [ Dutch brak , adj., salt; confer LG. wrak refuse, German brack .] Salt or brackish water. [ Obsolete] Drayton.

Bracken Brack"en noun [ Middle English braken , Anglo-Saxon bracce . See 2d Brake , noun ] A brake or fern. Sir W. Scott.

Bracket Brack"et noun [ Confer OF. braguette codpiece, French brayette , Spanish bragueta , also a projecting mold in architecture; dim. from Latin bracae breeches; confer also, Old French bracon beam, prop, support; of unknown origin. Confer Breeches .] 1. (Architecture) An architectural member, plain or ornamental, projecting from a wall or pier, to support weight falling outside of the same; also, a decorative feature seeming to discharge such an office. » This is the more general word. See Brace , Cantalever , Console , Corbel , Strut . 2. (Engin. & Mech.) A piece or combination of pieces, usually triangular in general shape, projecting from, or fastened to, a wall, or other surface, to support heavy bodies or to strengthen angles. 3. (Nautical) A shot, crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support. 4. (Mil.) The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage. 5. (Print.) One of two characters [ ], used to inclose a reference, explanation, or note, or a part to be excluded from a sentence, to indicate an interpolation, to rectify a mistake, or to supply an omission, and for certain other purposes; -- called also crotchet . 6. A gas fixture or lamp holder projecting from the face of a wall, column, or the like. Bracket light , a gas fixture or a lamp attached to a wall, column, etc.

Bracket Brack"et transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bracketed ; present participle & verbal noun Bracketing ] To place within brackets; to connect by brackets; to furnish with brackets.

Bracket Brack"et noun (Gunnery) A figure determined by firing a projectile beyond a target and another short of it, as a basis for ascertaining the proper elevation of the piece; -- only used in the phrase, to establish a bracket . After the bracket is established shots are fired with intermediate elevations until the exact range is obtained. In the United States navy it is called fork .

Bracket Brack"et transitive verb (Gunnery) To shoot so as to establish a bracket for (an object).

Bracketing Brack"et·ing noun (Architecture) A series or group of brackets; brackets, collectively.

Brackish Brack"ish adjective [ 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 Brack"ish·ness noun The quality or state of being brackish, or somewhat salt.

Bracky Brack"y adjective Brackish. Drayton.

Bract Bract noun [ See Bractea .] (Botany) (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. » 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 Brac"te·a noun [ Latin , a thin plate of metal or wood, gold foil.] (Botany) A bract.

Bracteal Brac"te·al adjective [ Confer F. bractéal .] Having the nature or appearance of a bract.