Bracing

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Brace \Brace\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Braced}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Bracing}.]
     1. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace
        a beam in a building.
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     2. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension;
        to strain; to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves.
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              And welcome war to brace her drums.   --Campbell.
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     3. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
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              The women of China, by bracing and binding them from
              their infancy, have very little feet. --Locke.
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              Some who spurs had first braced on.   --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
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     4. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold
        firmly; as, he braced himself against the crowd.
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              A sturdy lance in his right hand he braced.
                                                    --Fairfax.
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     5. (Naut.) To move around by means of braces; as, to brace
        the yards.
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     {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.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bracing \Bra"cing\, a.
     Imparting strength or tone; strengthening; invigorating; as,
     a bracing north wind.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bracing \Bra"cing\, n.
     1. The act of strengthening, supporting, or propping, with a
        brace or braces; the state of being braced.
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     2. (Engin.) Any system of braces; braces, collectively; as,
        the bracing of a truss.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bracing
       adj : imparting vitality and energy; "the bracing mountain air"
             [syn: {brisk}, {energizing}, {energising}, {fresh}, {refreshing},
              {refreshful}, {tonic}]
       n : a structural member used to stiffen a framework [syn: {brace}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  69 Moby Thesaurus words for "bracing":
     activating, analeptic, animating, animative, bearing, beneficial,
     benign, bolstering, brisk, burdened, buttressing, carrying,
     cheering, chill, chilly, constitutional, cool, coolish, cordial,
     corroborant, crisp, crispy, energizing, enlivening, exhilarating,
     exhilarative, fortifying, fresh, good, good for, health-enhancing,
     health-preserving, healthful, healthy, holding, hygeian, hygienic,
     invigorating, invigorative, maintaining, propping, quickening,
     refreshful, refreshing, regaling, restorative, reviving, roborant,
     rousing, salubrious, salutary, sanitary, shoring, stimulating,
     stimulative, strengthening, supporting, supportive, suspensory,
     sustaining, sustentative, temperate, tonic, upholding, viable,
     vitalizing, wholesome, zestful, zesty