brad en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /bɹæd/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /bɹad/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Late Middle English brad, variant of brod(d), from Old Norse broddr (“spike, shaft”), from Proto-Germanic *bruzdaz (compare Old English brord, Old High German brort), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusdʰos (compare Welsh brath (“sting, prick”), Albanian bredh (“fir-tree”), Lithuanian bruzdùklis (“bridle”), Czech brzda (“brake”). Doublet of prod.
Meanings
-
A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an escutcheon pin.
Into the middle arch of each desk silver-headed brads had been hammered to form a lion, a bear, a ram, a dove, and in the midst a flaming torch.
1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber, published 2007, page 5:
- (US, qualifier:elementary school usage) A paper fastener, a fastening device formed of thin, soft metal, such as shim brass, with a round head and a flat, split shank, which is spread after insertion in a hole in a stack of pages, in much the same way as a cotter pin or a split rivet.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| brads | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (6)
tl kalabito (thin finishing nail) · bg клинец (thin finishing nail) · el πρόκα (thin finishing nail) · cs kolářský hřebíček (thin finishing nail) · fi uppokantanaula (thin finishing nail) · tl pakong-aspile (thin finishing nail)