• n. 支柱；[语] 大括号；曲柄
• vt. 支撑；振作起来；激励；撑牢
• vi. 支持；打起精神
• adj. 曲柄的
• n. (Brace)人名；(英)布雷斯；(法)布拉斯

来自拉丁词bracchia, 手臂。词源同brief, 短的。原指两手合抱，表支持义，后指箍子，括号等。

brace

brace: [14] English borrowed brace from Old French brace, which meant simply ‘(the length measured by) two arms’. It came from Latin bracchia, the plural of bracchium ‘arm’ (source of French bras ‘arm’, and also of various English technical terms, such as brachiopod [19], a type of shellfish, literally ‘arm-foot’). The word’s ultimate source was Greek brakhíōn ‘arm’, originally ‘upper arm’, which was formed from the comparative of brakhús ‘short’, a relative of English brief (the sense development is probably that the upper arm was named from being ‘shorter’ than the forearm).

Of the rather diverse range of meanings the word has in modern English, ‘pair’ derives from the original notion of ‘twoness’, while ‘strengthening or supporting structure’ owes much to the idea of ‘clasping’, mainly contained originally in the verb brace [14], from Old French bracier ‘put one’s arms around’ (a derivative of Old French brace). In English it now only means ‘support, strengthen’, the sense ‘clasp with the arms’ being reserved to embrace [14], from Old French embracer.
=> brief, embrace

brace (n.)

early 14c., "piece of armor for the arms," also "thong, strap for fastening," from Old French brace, braz "arms," also "length measured by two arms" (12c., Modern French bras "arm, power;" brasse "fathom, armful, breaststroke"), from Latin bracchia, plural of bracchium "an arm, a forearm," from Greek brakhion "an arm" (see brachio-). Applied to various devices for fastening and tightening on notion of clasping arms. Of dogs, "a couple, a pair" from c. 1400.

brace (v.)

mid-14c., "to seize, grasp," also "wrap, enshroud; tie up, fetter," from Old French bracier "to embrace," from brace "arms" (see brace (n.)). Meaning "to render firm or steady by tensing" is mid-15c., earlier in figurative sense "strengthen or comfort" (someone), early 15c., with later extension to tonics, etc. that "brace" the nerves (compare bracer "stiff drink"). Related: Braced; bracing.

1. She wears a neck brace.

她戴着颈托。

来自柯林斯例句

2. My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth.

我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿.

来自《简明英汉词典》

3. You had better brace yourself for some bad news.

有些坏消息,你最好做好准备.

来自《简明英汉词典》

4. The doctor cautioned him to brace up.

医生告诫他要振奋精神.

来自《简明英汉词典》

5. He tried to shake them off, to forget and brace up.

他想甩开它们, 忘记它们,振作起来.

来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹