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brake²

(brāk)

1. A toothed device for crushing and beating flax or hemp.

2. A heavy harrow for breaking clods of earth.

3. An apparatus for kneading large amounts of dough.

4. A machine for bending and folding sheet metal.

tr.v. braked, brak·ing, brakes

1. To crush (flax or hemp) in a toothed device.

2. To break up (clods of earth) with a harrow.

[Middle English, from Middle Dutch, from Middle Low German; see bhreg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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