Etymology dictionary
bound (n.1) — bracket (n.)
bound (n.1)
c. 1300, "boundary marker," from Anglo-Latin bunda, from Old French bonde "limit, boundary, boundary stone" (12c., Modern French borne), a variant of bodne, from Medieval Latin bodina, which is perhaps from Gaulish.
It is attested from mid-14c. as "an external limit, that which limits or circumscribes;" figuratively, of feelings, etc., from late 14c. From late 14c. as "limits of an estate or territory." Now chiefly in the phrase out of bounds, which originally referred to limits imposed on students at schools (by 1751); the other senses generally have gone with boundary.
bound (v.1)
late 14c., "to form the boundary of," also "to set the boundaries of, confine within limits;" late 15c., "to be a boundary of, abut, adjoin," from bound (n.1). Related: Bounded; bounding.
boundary (n.)
"that which indicates the limits of anything," 1620s, from bound (n.1) + -ary. Strictly, a visible mark indicating a dividing line, a bound being the limit or furthest point of extension of any one thing.
bounder (n.)
1560s, "one who sets bounds," agent noun from bound (v.1). The British English slang meaning "person of objectionable social behavior, would-be stylish person," is from 1882, perhaps from bound (v.2) on notion of one trying to "bound" into high society, but earliest usage suggests one outside the "bounds" of acceptable socializing, which would connect it with bound (n.1).
boundless (adj.)
"without bounds or limits," 1590s, from bound (n.1) + -less. Related: Boundlessly; boundlessness.
bounteous (adj.)
late 14c., bounteuous, bountevous, from Old French bontieus, bontive; see bounty + -ous. Originally "full of goodness to others," but since c. 1400 shading toward "generous in bestowing," a sense which logically might have been left to bountiful. Related: Bounteously; bounteousness.
bounty (n.)
late 13c., "a gift, a reward, a favor bestowed freely;" c. 1300, "goodness, virtue; beauty; ; excellence; knightly prowess, strength, valor, chivalry," early 14c., "a helpful act, an act of generosity, a good deed," also "liberality in giving, generosity, munificence," from Anglo-French bountee, Old French bonte "goodness" (12c., Modern French bonté), from Latin bonitatem (nominative bonitas) "goodness," from bonus "good" (see bonus).
The sense of "gift bestowed by a sovereign or the state" led to the extended senses of "premium or gratuity to a military recruit" (1702) and "reward for killing or taking a criminal or enemy" (1764) or dangerous animal (1847).
Bounty-jumper "one who enlists in the military, collects the bounty, and flees without reporting for duty" is from the American Civil War (by 1864). Bounty-hunter is from 1893, American English, originally in reference to wild animals.
bountiful (adj.)
mid-15c., "liberal in bestowing gifts;" see bounty + -ful. From 1530s as "characterized by bounty, abundant, ample." Related: Bountifully; bountifulness.
bouquet (n.)
"bunch of flowers," 1716, introduced to English by Lady Mary Montague from French bouquet, originally "little wood," from Picard form of Old French bochet, boschet (14c.), diminutive of bosco, from Medieval Latin boscus "grove" (see bush (n.)). The meaning "perfume from a wine" is recorded by 1815.
bourbon (n.)
type of American corn whiskey, 1846, from Bourbon County, Kentucky, where it first was made, supposedly in 1789. Bourbon County was organized 1785, one of the nine established by the Virginia legislature before Kentucky became a state. The name reflects the fondness felt in the United States for the French royal family, and especially Louis XVI, in gratitude for the indispensable support he had given to the rebel colonists. See Bourbon.
Bourbon
line of French kings who ruled 1589-1792 and 1815-1848; its name is from Bourbon l'Archambault, chief town of a lordship in central France, probably from Borvo, name of a local Celtic deity associated with thermal springs, whose name probably is related to Celtic borvo "foam, froth." They also ruled in Naples and Spain. Proverbially, they "forget nothing and learn nothing" (the quip is attested by 1830, the source unknown), hence the name was used generally of extreme conservatives.
bourdon (n.)
see burden (n.2).
bourgeois (adj.)
1560s, "of or pertaining to the French middle class," from French bourgeois, from Old French burgeis, borjois "town dweller" (as distinct from "peasant"), from borc "town, village," from Frankish *burg "city" (via Germanic from PIE root *bhergh- (2) "high," with derivatives referring to hills and hill-forts).
The word was later extended to tradespeople or citizens of middle rank in other nations. The sense of "socially or aesthetically conventional; middle-class in manners or taste" is from 1764. Also (from the position of the upper class) "wanting in dignity or refinement, common, not aristocratic." As a noun, "citizen or freeman of a city," 1670s. In communist and socialist writing, "a capitalist, anyone deemed an exploiter of the proletariat" (1883).
bourgeoise (adj.)
proper French fem. of bourgeois (q.v.).
bourgeoisie (n.)
1707, "body of freemen in a French town," hence, "the French middle class," also extended to that of other countries, from French bourgeois, from Old French burgeis, borjois (12c.) "town dweller" (as distinct from "peasant"), from borc "town, village," from Frankish *burg "city" (ultimately from PIE root *bhergh- (2) "high," with derivatives referring to hills and hill-forts). Communist use for "the capitalist class generally" is attested from 1886.
bourn (n.1)
also bourne, "small stream," especially of the winter torrents of the chalk downs, Old English brunna, burna "brook, stream," from Proto-Germanic *brunnoz "spring, fountain" (source also of Old High German brunno, Old Norse brunnr, Old Frisian burna, German Brunnen "fountain," Gothis brunna "well"), ultimately from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." The southern England form of northern burn.
bourn (n.2)
"destination," 1520s, from French borne, apparently a variant of bodne "limit, boundary, boundary stone" (see bound (n.1)). Used by Shakespeare, especially in Hamlet's soliloquy (1602), and from thence it entered into English poetic speech. He meant it probably in the correct sense of "boundary," but others have taken the word to mean "goal" (Wordsworth, Matthew Arnold) or sometimes "realm" (Keats).
bourse (n.)
1590s, earlier burse (1550s) "meeting place of merchants," from French bourse "meeting place of merchants," literally "purse," from Old French borse "money bag, purse" (12c.), from Medieval Latin bursa "a bag" (see purse (n.)). The modern sense of "stock exchange for merchants" is by 1845, from the name of the Paris stock exchange. The term was said to have originated because in 13c. Bruges the sign of a purse (or perhaps three purses), hung on the front of the house where merchants met. Compare bursar.
bouse
see booze.
boustrophedon (n.)
ancient form of writing with lines alternately written left-to-right and right-to-left, 1783, Greek, literally "turning as an ox in plowing," from bous "ox" (from PIE root *gwou- "ox, bull, cow") + strephein "to turn" (see strepto-).
bout (adv., prep.)
also 'bout, short for about, mid-13c.
bout (n.)
1540s, "a roundabout way" (obsolete), from Middle English bught, probably from an unrecorded Old English variant of byht "a bend," from Proto-Germanic *bukhta- (see bight (n.)). The sense evolved from "a circuit of any kind" (as of a plow) to "a round at any kind of exercise" (1570s), "a round at fighting" (1590s), "a fit of drinking" (1660s), and "a fit of illness" (by 1938).
boutique (n.)
"trendy fashion shop," 1950, earlier "small shop of any sort" (1767), from French boutique (14c.), from Old Provençal botica, from Latin apotheca "storehouse" (see apothecary). Latin apotheca directly into French normally would have yielded *avouaie.
boutonniere (n.)
"spray of flowers worn in a buttonhole," 1875, from French boutonnière, from bouton "button" (see button (n.)).
bovine (adj.)
1817, "of or like oxen," from French bovin (14c.), from Late Latin bovinus, from Latin bos (genitive bovis) "cow," originally "ox," "a loan word from a rural dialect" [Buck, who cites Umbrian bue], from PIE root *gwou- "ox, bull, cow." The figurative sense of "inert and stupid" is from 1855.
bovver
1969, Cockney pronunciation of bother "trouble" (q.v.), given wide extended usage in skinhead slang.
bow (n.1)
[strung, elastic weapon for shooting arrows] Middle English boue, from Old English boga "archery bow; anything bent or arched, an arch, a rainbow," from Proto-Germanic *bugon (source also of Old Norse bogi, Old Frisian boga, Dutch boog, German Bogen "bow"), from PIE root *bheug- "to bend," with derivatives referring to bent, pliable, or curved objects.
The sense of "a looped knot," especially an ornamental one, is from 1540s. The musician's bow (1570s) formerly was curved like the archer's.
The former popularity of the longbow as a characteristic English weapon is attested in expressions such as bow-legged; to have the bent of (one's) bow "know one's intentions or inclinations" (1560s), to shoot in (another's) bow "practice an art other than one's own;" bow-hand "the left hand," hence "on the wrong side, inaccurately;" have two strings to (one's) bow "have more than one means to accomplish something;" draw the long bow "exaggerate, lie."
bow (n.2)
"forward part of a ship," beginning where the sides trend inward, mid-14c., bou, boue, from a source such as Old Norse bogr, Middle Low German boog, Middle Dutch boech "bow of a ship," from Proto-Germanic *bugon-, from PIE root *bheug- "to bend," with derivatives referring to bent, pliable, or curved objects.
bow (v.1)
[bend the body] Middle English bouen, from Old English bugan "to bend, become bent, have or assume a curved direction; to bow down, bend the body in condescension or reverence, to submit," also "to turn back" (class II strong verb; past tense beag, past participle bogen), from Proto-Germanic *bugon (source also of Dutch buigen, Middle Low German bugen, Old High German biogan, German biegen, Gothic biugan "to bend," Old Norse boginn "bent"), from *beugen, from PIE root *bheug- "to bend." Related: Bowed; bowing. To bow out "withdraw" is from 1942, from the notion of "exit with a bow or bows."
bow (n.3)
"an inclination of the body or head" (in reverence, etc.), 1650s, from bow (v.1).
bow (v.2)
[have or assume the form of a bow] late 18c., from bow (n.1), but the word is difficult to distinguish in print from bow (v.1). In music, "to perform with a bow upon a stringed instrument," by 1838. Related: Bowed; bowing.
Bow bells (n.)
to be "born within the sound of Bow Bells" is the traditional (since early 17c.) definition of a Cockney; the reference is to the bells of the church of St. Mary-le-Bow in London's Cheapside district. A church or chapel probably stood there in Anglo-Saxon times, and was rebuilt many times; the bells were noted for their sound from 16c., and a great tenor bell hung there from 1762 to 1941, when the church was most recently destroyed, in a German air raid. The church is so called for the arches which were a notable feature in the medieval building from 12c., hence it is from bow (n.1).
bowdlerize (v.)
"expurgate by eliminating indelicate or offensive passages," 1836, from the name of Thomas Bowdler, English editor who in 1818 published a notorious expurgated Shakespeare, in which, according to his frontispiece, "nothing is added to the original text; but those words and expressions omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud in a family." Related: Bowdlerized; bowdlerizing; bowdlerization.
bowel (n.)
c. 1300, usually plural, bowels, "human organs of the abdominal cavity," from late 14c. specifically as "human intestines," from Old French boele "intestines, bowels, innards" (12c., Modern French boyau), from Medieval Latin botellus "small intestine," originally "sausage," diminutive of botulus "sausage," a word borrowed from Oscan-Umbrian.
The transferred sense of "the viscera as the seat of emotions" is from late 14c.; especially "inner parts as the seat of pity or kindness," hence "tenderness, compassion." Greek splankhnon (from the same PIE root as spleen) was a word for the principal internal organs, which also were felt in ancient times to be the seat of various emotions. Greek poets, from Aeschylus down, regarded the bowels as the seat of the more violent passions such as anger and love, but by the Hebrews they were seen as the seat of tender affections, especially kindness, benevolence, and compassion. Splankhnon was used in Septuagint to translate a Hebrew word, and from thence early Bibles in English rendered it in its literal sense as bowels, which thus acquired in English a secondary meaning of "pity, compassion" (late 14c.). But in later editions the word often was translated as heart. Bowel movement is attested by 1874.
bower (n.)
Old English bur "room, hut, dwelling, chamber," from Proto-Germanic *bowan (source also of Old Norse bur "chamber," Swedish bur "cage," Old Danish both "dwelling, stall," Old Saxon bur "a house; a cage," Old High German bur "dwelling, chamber," buan "to dwell," German Vogelbauer "cage" for a bird), from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow."
The modern spelling developed after mid-14c. The sense of "leafy arbor" (place closed in, shaded, or sheltered by trees) is attested from 1520s. Hence, too, Australia's bower-bird (1847), so called for the ornamented play-houses it builds.
bowery (n.)
"farm, plantation," from Dutch bowerij "homestead farm" (from the same source as bower); a Dutch word probably little used in America outside New York, and there soon limited to the name of one road, The Bowery (so called by 1787), running from the built-up part of the city out to the plantations in middle Manhattan; the city's growth soon overran it, and by 1840 it was a commercial district notorious for squalor, rowdiness, and low life. The Bowery boy as an American comic type had a heyday in the 1850s and again around 1900.
bowhead (n.)
also bow-head, type of Arctic whale, 1853, from bow (n.1) + head (n.). So called for its shape.
bowie knife (n.)
"heavy-single-edged sheath-knife used early 19c. on the U.S. frontier," 1827, named for its inventor, U.S. fighter and frontiersman Col. James "Jim" Bowie (1799-1836), and properly pronounced "boo-ee."
bowls (n.)
game played with balls, mid-15c. (implied in bowlyn), from gerund of bowl "wooden ball" (early 15c.), from Old French bole (13c., Modern French boule) "ball," ultimately from Latin bulla "bubble, knob, round thing" (see bull (n.2)).
bowl (v.)
"to roll a ball on the ground," typically as part of a game or contest, mid-15c., from bowl "wooden ball" (see bowls). Specifically in cricket, "deliver the ball to be played by the batsman," from 1755; the use in cricket is the source of late 19c. figurative expressions such as bowl over "knock down" (1849). Related: Bowled; bowling.
bowl (n.2)
"sphere, globe, ball," c. 1400, from Old French boule "ball," from Latin bulla "round swelling, knob" (see bull (n.2)). Meaning "large, solid ball of hard wood used in the game of bowls" is from mid-15c.
bowl (n.1)
"round, low vessel to hold liquids or liquid food," Old English bolla "pot, cup, bowl," from Proto-Germanic *bul- "a round vessel" (source also of Old Norse bolle, Old High German bolla), from PIE root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell." Formerly also "a large drinking cup," hence figurative use as an emblem of festivity or drunkenness. In reference to a football-stadium 1913, originally one that is bowl-shaped.
bowling (n.)
1530s, "the act of playing at bowls," verbal noun from bowl (v.). Bowling-alley "a covered place for the playing of bowls, provided with a passage of smooth planks for the rolling of the balls," is from 1550s; bowling-green "level piece of greensward kept smooth for bowling" is from 1640s.
bow-legged (adj.)
also bowlegged, "having the legs bowed outward," 1550s, from bow (n.1) + legged.
bowler (n.1)
"hard, round, low-crowned hat," 1861, said to be from a J. Bowler, 19c. London hat manufacturer. A John Bowler of Surrey, hat manufacturer, was active from the 1820s to the 1840s, and a William Bowler, hat-manufacturer, of Southwark Bridge Road, Surrey, sought a patent in 1854 for "improvements in hats and other coverings for the head." But perhaps the word is simply from bowl (n.); compare Old English heafodbolla "brainpan, skull." The earliest printed examples are with a lower-case b-.
bowler (n.2)
"player at bowls," c. 1500; in cricket, the player who serves the ball. Agent noun from bowl (v.).
bowline (n.)
also bow-line, type of rope on a sailing ship, early 14c. (late 13c. in Anglo-Latin), the first element apparently is connected with the bow (n.2) of a ship, but the whole is attested earlier than that word and not pronounced the same.
bowman (n.)
"fighting man armed with a bow," late 13c.; as a surname early 13c., from bow (n.1) "archer's bow" + man (n.). Bowman's capsule (1882) was named for English surgeon William Bowman (1816-1892).
bowser (n.)
a dog's name, 1806, perhaps imitative of baying (compare Greek bauzein "to bark").
bowshot (n.)
also bow-shot, "distance traversed by an arrow in its flight from a bow," c. 1300, from bow (n.1) + shot (n.).
bowsprit (n.)
"large spar projecting forward from the bow of a ship," late 13c., probably from Middle Low German bochspret, from boch "bow of a ship" (see bow (n.2)) + spret "pole" (compare Old English spreot "pole," Dutch spriet "spear;" see sprit). The variation in early forms (including boltsprit, bolesprit, boresprit) suggests a non-native word. French beaupre is a Dutch loan word.
bow-string (n.)
also bowstring, "the string of a bow," late 14c., from bow (n.1) + string (n.). In the Ottoman Empire, used for strangling offenders.
Bow Street
London street near Covent Garden, developed with homes from early 17c., the name (attested from 1680s) is from bow (n.1) in reference to its curved shape. It was seat of a metropolitan police court from 1740; hence Bow Street runners, the popular name for the nascent police force established there in 1750.
bow tie (n.)
"necktie tied in the form of a bow or a knot with two loops," by 1887, from bow (n.) in the sense "ribbon or other fabric tied in a bow-knot" (by 1874) + tie (n.).
bow-window (n.)
"window built so as to project from a wall, curved segmentally," 1753, from bow (n.1) + window.
bow-wow
imitative of the sound of a dog's barking, 1570s. Compare Latin baubor, Greek bauzein "to bark," etc., and see bay (n.3).
bowyer (n.)
"maker of bows," attested late 12c. as a surname, from bow (n.1) + -yer.
box (n.1)
"rectangular wooden container," usually with a lid, Old English box, also the name of a type of shrub, from Late Latin buxis, from Greek pyxis "boxwood," pyxion "writing table, box," made of boxwood, from pyxos "box tree," which is of uncertain origin. Beekes suggests a loan-word from Italy, as that is where the tree is native. Dutch bus, German Büchse "box; barrel of a gun," also are Latin loan-words.
The meaning "compartment at a theater" is from c. 1600 (box seat in the theatrical sense is by 1850). The meaning "pigeon-hole at a post office" is from 1832. The meaning "television" is from 1950 (earlier "gramophone player," 1924). The meaning "station of a player in baseball" is from 1881. The graphics sense of "space enclosed within borders and rules" is from 1929. The slang meaning "vulva" is attested 17c., according to "Dictionary of American Slang;" modern use seems to date from c. World War II, perhaps originally Australian, on the notion of box of tricks. Box lunch (n.) is attested from 1899. The box set "multiple-album, CD or cassette issue of the work of an artist" is attested by 1955. To think or act outside the box "contrary to convention" is attested by 1994.
box (n.2)
"a blow," c. 1300, of uncertain origin, older than the verb, possibly related to Middle Dutch boke, Middle High German buc, and Danish bask, all meaning "a blow;" perhaps imitative or perhaps from some sense of box (n.1) or (v.2).
boxing (n.)
"fighting with the fists as a sport," 1711, verbal noun from box (v.2). Boxing glove "padded glove used in sparring" is from 1805.
box (n.3)
genus of small evergreen trees, Old English, from Latin buxus, from Greek pyxos "box tree," which is of uncertain origin. Beekes suggests a loan-word from Italy, as that is where the tree is native. Compare box (n.1).
box (v.2)
"to beat, thrash, strike with the fist or hand," late 14c., from box (n.2). The meaning "to fight with the fists" (intransitive), whether gloved or not, is from 1560s. Related: Boxed; boxing.
box (v.1)
"to put into storage, place into a box," mid-15c., from box (n.1). Related: Boxed; boxing.
boxcar (n.)
also box-car, "large enclosed railway car for goods," 1856, American English, from box (n.1) + car.
box-cutter (n.)
1871, "one whose job is to cut boxes," from box (n.1) + cutter. From 1890 as a type of cutting machine; from 1944 as a hand-held bladed tool for cutting cardboard.
boxer (n.)
"fist-fighter, pugilist," late 15c., agent noun from box (v.2). The breed of dog (1934), is from German Boxer (the breed originated in Germany), itself taken from English boxer "fighter;" the dog so called for its pugnaciousness. Boxer shorts (1943) are so called from their resemblance to the attire worn in the ring.
Boxer Rebellion (n.)
1900, a name based on a mistranslation of the name of a Chinese xenophobic society, I-He-T'uan, "Righteous Harmony Band," rendered by British as I-He-Ch'uan "Righteous Uniting Fists," and so associated with the pugilistic boxer.
boxy (adj.)
"like a box in shape," 1858, from box (n.1) + -y (2). Related: Boxiness.
boxiana (n.)
"the lore and annals of prize-fighting," by 1819, mock-Latin, from box (v.2).
Boxing Day (n.)
1809, "first weekday after Christmas," on which by an English custom postmen, employees, and others can expect to receive a Christmas present; originally in reference to the custom of distributing the contents of the Christmas box, which had been placed in the church for charity collections. See box (n.1). The custom is older than the phrase.
box-kite (n.)
"type of kite built on four parallel struts," 1898, from box (n.1) + kite (n.); so called for its shape.
box-office (n.)
1786, "office in a theater in which tickets are sold," from box (n.1) + office (n.). Box is attested from late 14c. in the specialized sense of "money box," especially one in which money is kept for some particular purpose; this was extended to "funds, money" before c. 1400. Box office in the figurative sense of "financial element of a performance" is recorded by 1904.
box-top (n.)
"top of a cardboard packaging box," 1937, American English, from box (n.1) + top (n.1). They typically bore the name and address of the manufacturer and could be detached and shown as proof of purchase or to claim a radio premium or other advertising offer.
box-turtle (n.)
tortoise-like land-dwelling turtle of North America, 1825, American English for what is called by English writers a box-tortoise (1834), from box (n.1), so called for its resemblance to a tight, closed box when the head, tail, and legs are drawn in.
boxwood (n.)
also box-wood, "wood of the box-tree," fine and hard-grained, used for handles, etc., 1650s, from box (n.3) + wood (n.).
boyar (n.)
member of a Russian aristocratic class, 1590s, from Russian boyarin (plural boyare), perhaps from boji "struggle," or from Slavic root *bol- "great." Originally a title (abolished by Peter the Great) of officials; over time it came to signify the Russian aristocracy generally.
boycott
1880, noun and verb, "to combine in refusing to have dealings with, and preventing or discouraging others from doing so, as punishment for political or other differences." From Irish Land League ostracism of Capt. Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), land agent of Lough-Mask in County Mayo, who refused to lower rents for his tenant farmers.
It was quickly adopted by newspapers in languages as far off as Japanese (boikotto). The family name is from a place in England. Related: Boycotted; boycotter; boycotting. For earlier verbs from proper names, compare hector, also Shakespeare's
Boyd
the family name in many cases represents Gaelic or Irish buidhe "yellow," suggesting blond hair. Compare Manx name Mac Giolla Buidhe (c. 1100).
boyfriend (n.)
also boy-friend, "favorite male companion" (with implication of romantic connection), "a woman's paramour," 1909, from boy + friend (n.). It was attested earlier in a non-romantic sense of "juvenile male companion" (1850).
boyhood (n.)
"state of being a boy; the early period of a male's life," 1745, from boy + -hood.
boyish (adj.)
1540s, "pertaining to boys," from boy + -ish. The meaning "puerile" is from 1570s. Related: Boyishly; boyishness.
Boyle's law (n.)
named for Irish-born chemist and physicist Robert Boyle (1627-1691), who published it in 1662.
boysenberry (n.)
large bramble-fruit, a cross between several species, 1935, developed early 1900s by California botanist Rudolf Boysen (1895-1950) and named for him.
bozo (n.)
1920, "muscular low-I.Q. male," originally appearing in boxing slang (compare bimbo). Perhaps from Spanish bozal, used in the slave trade and also to mean "one who speaks Spanish poorly." It was also a proper name of Eastern European origin.
By 1913 a vaudeville actor named Bob Archer was billing himself as "The Original Bozo" and by 1919 he was running advertisements warning of imitators. His act, performed with partner Blanche Belford, saw him playing a drunken tramp in pantomime. In a 1926 interview, Archer revealed the name was derived from a mispronunciation of hobo.
Bozo the clown was created 1940 at Capitol Records as the voice in a series of story-telling records for children ["Wall Street Journal," Oct. 31, 1983].
bra (n.)
by 1923, shortening of brassiere.
Brabant
region in eastern Belgium (in the Middle Ages a duchy and much more extensive), from Old High German brahha "newly broken land" (see break (v.)) + bant "region." Related: Brabançon; Brabanter; Brabantine.
brace (v.)
mid-14c., "to seize, grasp, hold firmly," also "wrap, enshroud; tie up, fetter," from Old French bracier "to embrace," from brace "arms" (see brace (n.)). The meaning "make tense, render firm or steady by tensing" is from mid-15c., it is attested earlier in the figurative sense of "strengthen or comfort" someone (early 15c.), with a later extension to tonics, etc. that "brace" the nerves (compare bracer "stiff drink").
To brace oneself "place oneself in the position of a brace" (in anticipation of some shock or impact) is by 1805, perhaps c. 1500. To brace up "increase the tension or vigor of" is from 1809. Related: Braced; bracing.
brace (n.)
early 14c., "piece of armor for the arms," also "thong, strap for fastening," from Old French brace "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-).
The meaning "that which holds two or more things firmly together" (on the notion of clasping arms) is from mid-15c. Hence the word is applied to various devices for fastening and tightening. The meaning "a prop, support," especially in architecture, is from 1520s. Of dogs, ducks, pistols, etc., "a couple, a pair" from c. 1400.
Braces is from 1798 as "straps passing over the shoulders to hold up the trousers;" from 1945 as "wires for straightening the teeth."
bracelet (n.)
"ornamental ring or clasped chain for the wrist," mid-15c., from Old French bracelet (14c.), diminutive of bracel, from Latin bracchiale "armlet," from bracchium "an arm, a forearm," from Greek brakhion "an arm" (see brachio-).
bracer (n.)
early 14c., "piece of armor protecting the arm;" 1580s, "a clamp, bind, that which braces or makes firm," agent noun from brace (v.). The figurative sense of "that which braces the nerves" is by 1740; especially an alcoholic drink taken early in the morning (by 1826). Related: Bracers.
brach (n.)
"bitch hound" (archaic), mid-14c., brache, originally "hound that hunts by scent," from Old French braches "hound, hunting dog," brachez, plural of brachet, a word of West Germanic origin (compare Middle Dutch brache, Old High German braccho "hound, setter"), from PIE root *bhrag- "to smell" (source also of Middle High German bræhen "to smell," Middle Irish bren "putrid, foul," perhaps also Latin fragrare "to smell sweetly"). Italian bracco is a Germanic loan word.
brachy-
word-forming element meaning "short," from Latinized combining form of Greek brakhys "short," from PIE root *mregh-u- "short."
brachial (adj.)
"belonging to the arm, fore-leg, wing," etc., 1570s, from Latin brachialis, from brachium "arm," from Greek (see brachio-).
brachio-
before a vowel, brachi-, word-forming element meaning "arm, of the upper arm, pertaining to the upper arm and," from Latinized form of Greek brakhion "arm," perhaps originally "upper arm," literally "shorter," from brakhys "short" (from PIE root *mregh-u- "short"), in contrast to the longer forearm.
brachiopod (n.)
type of bivalve mollusk of the class Brachiopoda, 1836, Modern Latin, from Greek brakhion "an arm" (see brachio-) + pous "foot" (from PIE root *ped- "foot"). They develop long spiral "arms" from either side of their mouths.
brachiosaurus (n.)
1903, Modern Latin, from Greek brakhion "an arm" (see brachio-) + -saurus. The forelegs are notably longer than the hind legs.
brachycephalic (adj.)
in ethnology, "short-headed," 1847; see brachy- + -cephalic. Denoting skulls at least 80 percent as wide as they are long (considered typical of Mongoloid peoples). Related: Brachycephalous; brachycephalism.
brack (adj.)
"salty, briny," 1510s, from Dutch brak "brackish," probably from Middle Dutch brak "worthless," a word also used in commercial trade and which also made its way into early Modern English.
bracken (n.)
"coarse fern," c. 1300, a northern England word, probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish bregne, Swedish bräken "fern"), from Proto-Germanic *brak- "undergrowth, bushes," from PIE root *bhreg- "to break" on the notion of "that which impedes motion" [Watkins].
bracket (v.)
1797, of printed matter, "enclose in brackets," from bracket (n.). Also, "couple or connect with a brace" (1827), also figurative, "couple one thing with another" in writing (1807). Artillery rangefinding sense is from 1903, from the noun (1891) in the specialized sense "distance between the ranges of two shells, one under and one over the object." Related: Bracketed; bracketing. In home-building and joinery, bracketed is attested by 1801.
bracket (n.)
1570s, bragget, "architectural support, supporting piece projecting from a vertical surface," probably from French braguette, originally "codpiece armor" (16c.), from a fancied resemblance of architectural supports to that article of attire (Spanish cognate bragueta meant both "codpiece" and "projecting moulding in architecture"), diminutive of brague "knee pants," ultimately from Gaulish *braca "pants," itself perhaps from Germanic (compare Old English broc "garment for the legs and trunk;" see breeches).
The architectural meaning also might be directly from the "breeches" sense, on the notion of two limbs or of appliances used in pairs. The senses have been affected by Latin brachium "arm." The typographical bracket ("marks used to enclose a note, reference, explanation, etc.;" each was formerly a crotchet) is in use by 1750, so called for its resemblance to double supports in carpentry (a sense attested from 1610s). The meaning "position of being enclosed or bracketed with others" as of equal standing is from 1880.