A surname from Old French.

plural of Brace

present participle of brace

Invigorating or stimulating.

(uncountable) That which braces. / (countable) A brace. / (US) A form of the military attention stance.

plural of bracing

(nautical) to brace the ship's yards on the opposite tack when going about

(nautical, dated) To bring the foreyards flat aback to stop the ship.

(nautical) The time taken for a sail to shake or shiver twice as a ship comes into the wind. / (idiomatic) A very short time.

(nautical) to bring the yards around to make the smallest possible angle with the fore and aft line when sailing close-hauled