Bracelet
(Brace"let) n. [F. bracelet, dim. of OF. bracel armlet, prop. little arm, dim. of bras arm, fr. L.
bracchium. See Brace, n.]
1. An ornamental band or ring, for the wrist or the arm; in modern times, an ornament encircling the
wrist, worn by women or girls.
2. A piece of defensive armor for the arm. Johnson.
Bracer
(Bra"cer) n.
1. That which braces, binds, or makes firm; a band or bandage.
2. A covering to protect the arm of the bowman from the vibration of the string; also, a brassart. Chaucer.
3. A medicine, as an astringent or a tonic, which gives tension or tone to any part of the body. Johnson.
Brach
(Brach) n. [OE. brache a kind of scenting hound or setting dog, OF. brache, F. braque, fr. OHG.
braccho, G. bracke; possibly akin to E. fragrant, fr. L. fragrare to smell.] A bitch of the hound kind.
Shak.
Brachelytra
(||Brach*el"y*tra) n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. short + a covering.] (Zoöl.) A group of beetles having
short elytra, as the rove beetles.
Brachia
(||Brach"i*a) n. pl. See Brachium.
Brachial
(Brach"i*al) or a. [L. brachialis from bracchium (bracch-) arm: cf. F. brachial.]
1. (Anat.) Pertaining or belonging to the arm; as, the brachial artery; the brachial nerve.
2. Of the nature of an arm; resembling an arm.
Brachiata
(||Brach`i*a"ta) n. pl. [See Brachiate.] (Zoöl.) A division of the Crinoidea, including those
furnished with long jointed arms. See Crinoidea.
Brachiate
(Brach"i*ate) a. [L. brachiatus (bracch-) with boughs or branches like arms, from brackium
(bracch-) arm.] (Bot.) Having branches in pairs, decussated, all nearly horizontal, and each pair at
right angles with the next, as in the maple and lilac.
Brachioganoid
(Brach`i*og"a*noid) n. One of the Brachioganoidei.
Brachioganoidei
(||Brach`i*o*ga*noid"e*i) n. pl. [NL., from L. brachium (bracch-) arm + NL. ganoidei.]
(Zoöl.) An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example. See Crossopterygii.
Brachiolaria
(||Brach`i*o*la"ri*a) n. pl. [NL., fr. L. brachiolum dim. of brachium (bracch-) arm.] (Zoöl.)
A peculiar early larval stage of certain starfishes, having a bilateral structure, and swimming by means
of bands of vibrating cilia.
Brachiopod
(Brach"i*o*pod) n. [Cf.F. brachiopode.] (Zoöl.) One of the Brachiopoda, or its shell.
Brachiopoda
(||Brach`i*op"o*da) n. [NL., from Gr. arm + -poda.] (Zoöl.) A class of Molluscoidea having
a symmetrical bivalve shell, often attached by a fleshy peduncle.
Within the shell is a pair of "arms," often long and spirally coiled, bearing rows of ciliated tentacles by
which a current of water is made to flow into the mantle cavity, bringing the microscopic food to the mouth
between the bases of the arms. The shell is both opened and closed by special muscles. They form
two orders; Lyopoma, in which the shell is thin, and without a distinct hinge, as in Lingula; and Arthropoma,
in which the firm calcareous shell has a regular hinge, as in Rhynchonella. See Arthropomata.
