brake

¹brake

\ˈbrāk\

Definition of BRAKE

archaic past of break

²brake

noun

Definition of BRAKE

: the common bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)

Origin of BRAKE

Middle English, fern, probably back-formation from braken bracken

First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with BRAKE

ache, bake, break, cake, crake, drake, Drake, fake, flake, hake, jake, lake, make, quake, rake, sake, shake, slake, snake, stake, steak, strake, take, wake

³brake

noun

Definition of BRAKE

1

: a toothed instrument or machine for separating out the fiber of flax or hemp by breaking up the woody parts

2

: a machine for bending, flanging, folding, and forming sheet metal

Origin of BRAKE

Middle English, from Middle Low German; akin to Old English brecan to break

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

⁴brake

noun

Definition of BRAKE

: rough or marshy land overgrown usually with one kind of plant

— braky \ˈbrā-kē\ adjective

Origin of BRAKE

Middle English -brake

First Known Use: 1562

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

⁵brake

noun

Definition of BRAKE

1

: a device for arresting or preventing the motion of a mechanism usually by means of friction

2

: something used to slow down or stop movement or activity <use interest rates as a brake on spending>

— brake·less \ˈbrā-kləs\ adjective

Origin of BRAKE

perhaps from obsolete brake bridle

First Known Use: circa 1782

Other Automotive Terms

articulated, block, choke, clutch, diesel, neutral, transmission

⁶brake

verb

braked brak·ing

Definition of BRAKE

transitive verb

: to retard or stop by or as if by a brake

intransitive verb

1

: to operate or manage a brake; especially : to apply the brake on a vehicle

2

: to become checked by a brake

Examples of BRAKE

1. I had to brake suddenly when a cat ran in front of the car.
2. <braked the car sharply when someone pulled out in front of us>

First Known Use of BRAKE

1868

Related to BRAKE

Synonyms

slow, decelerate, retard, slacken

Antonyms

accelerate, hasten, hurry, quicken, rush, speed (up), step up

Related Words

halt, stop; encumber, hamper, handicap, hinder, hobble, hold back, hold up, impede, inhibit, obstruct, set back, tie up; bottleneck; arrest, check, constrain, curb, rein, restrain; baffle, foil, frustrate, sabotage, thwart

Near Antonyms

drive, encourage, goad, propel, push, spur, stir, urge; advance, aid, dispatch, ease, expedite, facilitate, forward, further, help

Other Automotive Terms

articulated, block, choke, clutch, diesel, neutral, transmission

brake

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

A disc brake assembly. Wheel rotation is slowed by friction when the hydraulic pistons squeeze the …—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Device for decreasing the speed of a body or stopping its motion. Most brakes act on rotating mechanical elements and absorb kinetic energy mechanically, hydrodynamically, or electrically. Mechanical brakes are the most common; they dissipate the kinetic energy as heat generated by mechanical friction between a rotating drum or disk and a stationary friction element. A hydrodynamic (fluid) brake has a rotor (rotating element) and a stator (stationary element). Resistance to rotation is created by fluid friction and circulation of the liquid (usually water) from a series of pockets in the rotor to a series of complementary pockets in the stator. See also air brake.