Wednesday's Word -- Brace

Last night, my 2 1/2 year old knocked into my mouth with an unexpected but powerful embrace, and the impact did not rip a bloody gash in my lip or the inside of my mouth.  That's right.  I finally had my braces removed yesterday.  What a relief to enjoy my child's exuberance without (as much) fear of injury!  So today, I'm thinking about the word "brace."


Let's start with the verb.  To "brace" is to steady, bind, or hold up another thing.  Think of an ankle brace (or sharp metal harm-inflictors on my teeth . . .).  It also means to prepare or position so as to be ready for impact or danger.  To get ready; make preparations.  To summon up strength and endurance.  As in, "brace yourself"!  (On a tangent, I remember my father often used to tell us kids to "get a grip on yourself."  We thought it was quite amusing to respond by tightly gripping some body part like an arm or a leg with a hand.  Oh, for the love of words!) 


The noun "brace" has a number of interesting meanings.  Of course, a "brace" is the device that performs the bracing.  But "brace" is also the name of the punctuation symbol I usually call a curly bracket { }.  Technically, you use that symbol to enclose lines of text or listed items that should be considered a unit.  {Or, like me, you sometimes use them because they're prettier than parentheses.}  I like the symbol even more, now that I know it's a brace intended to contain the pieces and parts that {left to their own devices} might go their separate ways.  Braces are also suspenders (if you're British).  And, although the meaning is now obsolete, a brace is a measurement of length representing a person's outstretched arms. 


Down to the root, "brace" comes from Old French meaning "the two arms."  How fitting that those curly "brace" brackets do in fact look like arms -- like an embrace.  As you could probably guess, to "embrace" means to surround with one's arms. 


And nothing holds you together better than the emBRACE of a toddler who loves you fiercely.

{Speaking of the love of words, have you read The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak?  I'm reading it now and enjoying it quite a bit.}