brace
4
5.1
- noun
- /breɪs/
- Archaic
:
par
- Back then, one could go out and come back with a brace of animals.
Examples
-
Carried a brace of pistols all the time, you know.
-
Maureen sent us a brace from Scotland.
-
Little sister Evie and a brace of cousins were aboard the ship.
Fiction book (1998) -
Got a brace of pheasant this morning, and father hit a squab, but the dog couldn't find it.
-
The officers congratulated themselves on the capture they had made: a brace of daring criminals badly wanted by the courts.
Fiction book (1992) -
A brother, Ralph, hailed him in the distance with a brace of quail, all of them covertly clad and hidden.
Fiction book (1995) -
The hunter proudly displayed a brace of pheasants he had caught in the morning.
-
She returned from the market carrying a brace of fine apples for the pie.
-
After the hunt, he celebrated with a brace of rabbits he had successfully hunted.
Synonyms
889
1.0
Two matching things considered together, like two socks
308
1.0
Two things of the same kind considered together
62
9.9
Two things of the same kind
10
3.2
Two people who do things together, like walking or dancing
9
2.5
Two people or things that are closely connected and used together
3
7.9
Two people or things that are close and form one unit
1
5.6
Two matching items kept or used together
Two things of the same kind seen as one
Two milkshakes that people share as a treat
Compounds
- Specialized
3
3.9
A device you wear around your back to support it and help you sit or stand straight
Surface Forms
Etymology
Brace used for a pair simply meant 'two' in older English and French, so a 'brace of ducks' is just two ducks. This old use explains why hunters and cooks still use brace to mean a matched pair.