Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BRAZE, v.t. [Fr. braser.]

1. To soder with brass. – Moxon.
2. To harden to impudence; to harden as with brass. – Shak.

BRA'ZEN, a. [bra'zn.]

1. Made of brass; as, a brazen helmet. – Dryden.
2. Pertaining to brass; proceeding from brass; as, a brazen din. – Shak.
3. Impudent; having a front like brass. Brazen age, or age of brass, in mythology, the age which succeeded the silver age, when men had degenerated from primitive purity. Brazen dish, among miners, is the standard by which other dishes are gauged, and is kept in the king's hall. – England. Brazen sea, in Jewish antiquity, a huge vessel of brass, cast on the plain of Jordan, and placed in Solomon's temple. It was 10 cubits from brim to brim, 5 in hight, 30 in circumference, and contained 3000 baths. It was designed for the priests to wash themselves in, before they performed the service of the temple. – Encyc.

BRA'ZEN, v.i. [bra'zn.]

To be impudent; to bully. – Arbuthnot.

BRA'ZEN-BROW-ED, a.

Being of shameless impudence. – Brown.

BRA'ZEN-FACE, n. [brazen and face.]

An impudent person; one remarkable for effrontery. – Shak.

BRA'ZEN-FAC-ED, a.

Impudent; bold to excess; shameless. – Dryden.

BRA'ZEN-LY, adv.

In a bold impudent manner.

BRA'ZEN-NESS, n.

1. Appearance like brass. In this sense, brassiness is the more correct word.
2. Impudence; excess of assurance.

BRA'ZIER, n.

See BRASIER.

BRA-ZIL', or BRA-ZIL'-WOOD, n. [Port. braza, a live coal, or glowing fire. This name was given to the wood for its color, and it is said that King Emanuel of Portugal gave this name to the country in America on account of its producing this wood. It was first named Santa Cruz, by its discoverer, Pedro Alvares Cabral. – Lindley's Narrative of Voyage to Brazil. Med. Rep. Hex. 2, vol. 3, 200.]

Brazil, or brazil-wood, or braziletto, is a very heavy wood of a red color, growing in Brazil, and other tropical countries. It is used in manufactures for dyeing red. It is a species of Cæsalpina.

BRA-ZI-LET'TO, n.

The same as Brazil-wood.

BRA-ZIL'IAN, a.

Pertaining to Brazil; as Brazilian strand. – Barlow.

BREACH, n. [Fr. breche; D. breuk; Ger. bruch; Sw. bråck; Dan. bræk; Sp. and Port. brecha. See Break.]

1. The act of breaking, or state of being broken; a rupture; a break; a gap; the space between the several parts of a solid body parted by violence; as, a breach in a garment or in a wall.
2. The violation of a law; the violation or non-fulfillment of a contract; the non-performance of a moral duty; non-performance of duty being a breach of obligation, as well as a positive transgression or violation. Every breach of the public engagements is hurtful to public credit. – Hamilton.
3. An opening in a coast. [Not usual.] – Spenser.
4. Separation between friends by means of enmity; difference; quarrel. – Clarendon.
5. Infraction; injury; invasion; as, a breach upon kingly power. – Clarendon.
6. Bereavement; loss of friend and its consequent affliction.
7. A violation of the public peace, as by a riot, affray, or any tumult which is contrary to law, and destructive to the public tranquillity, is called a breach of the peace.

BREACH, v.t.

To make a breach or opening. – Life of Wellington.

BREACH'FUL, a.

Full of breaches.

BREACH'Y, a.

Apt to break fences; unruly.

BREAD, n. [bred; Sax. breod; G. brot; D. brood; Sw. brod; Dan. bröd; Qu. Gr. βρωτος, any thing esculent. If the word signifies food in general, or that which is eaten, probably it is the Heb. and Ch. ברות, from ברה, barah, to eat or feed. But in German, it signifies loaf as well as bread. “Zehen brot,” ten loaves. It may therefore signify primarily a lump or portion.]

1. A mass of dough, made by moistening and kneading the flour or meal of some species of grain, and baked in an oven or pan.
2. Food in general. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. – Gen. iii. Give us this day our daily bread. – Lord's Prayer.
3. Support of life in general; maintenance. Is the reward of virtue, bread? – Pope. Bee-bread. [See Bee.] Ship-bread, bread for ships; hard biscuits. Cassada-bread. [See Cassada.]

BREAD, v.t. [Sax. bræden. See Broad.]

To spread. [Not used.] – Ray.

BREAD'CHIP-PER, n. [bread and chip.]

One who chips bread; a baker's servant; an under butler. – Shak.

BREAD'CORN, n. [bread and corn.]

Corn of which bread is made. This in most countries is wheat and rye; but in some countries bread is made of other grain, as of maiz in some parts of America.

BREAD'EN, a.

Made of bread. [Little used.] – Rogers.

BREAD'LESS, a.

Without bread; destitute of food.

BREAD'-ROOM, n.

An apartment in a ship's hold, where the bread is kept.

BREAD'-STUFF, n.

Bread corn, meal or flour. – U. States.

BREADTH, n. [bredth; Sax. bræd and bred. See Board and Broad.]

The measure or extent of any plain surface from side to side; a geometrical dimension, which, multiplied into the length, constitutes a surface; as, the length of a table is five feet, and the breadth three; 5 x 3 = 15 feet, the whole surface.