Brake (brāk), imp. of Break. [Arhaic] Tennyson.
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Brake (brāk), n. [OE. brake; cf. LG. brake an instrument for breaking flax, G. breche, fr. the root of E. break. See Break, v. t., and cf. Breach.] 1. An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.
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2. An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine.
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3. A baker's kneading though. Johnson.
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4. A sharp bit or snaffle.
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Pampered jades . . . which need nor break nor bit. Gascoigne.
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5. A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.
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A horse . . . which Philip had bought . . . and because of his fierceness kept him within a brake of iron bars. J. Brende.
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6. That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.
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7. (Mil.) An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.
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8. (Agric.) A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag.
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9. A piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction, as of a carriage or railway car, by the pressure of rubbers against the wheels, or of clogs or ratchets against the track or roadway, or of a pivoted lever against a wheel or drum in a machine.
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10. (Engin.) An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine, or other motor, by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will overcome; a friction brake.
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11. A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.
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12. An ancient instrument of torture. Holinshed.
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Air brake. See Air brake, in the Vocabulary. -- Brake beam or Brake bar, the beam that connects the brake blocks of opposite wheels. -- Brake block. (a) The part of a brake holding the brake shoe. (b) A brake shoe. -- Brake shoe or Brake rubber, the part of a brake against which the wheel rubs. -- Brake wheel, a wheel on the platform or top of a car by which brakes are operated. -- Continuous brake . See under Continuous.
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