Brace vs. Trace — What's the Difference?

A device fitted to something, in particular a weak or injured part of the body, to give support

Find or discover by investigation

A pair of straps that pass over the shoulders and fasten to the top of trousers at the front and back to hold them up.

Copy (a drawing, map, or design) by drawing over its lines on a superimposed piece of transparent paper

A pair of something, typically of birds or mammals killed in hunting

A mark, object, or other indication of the existence or passing of something

Either of the two marks { and }, used either to indicate that two or more items on one side have the same relationship as each other to the single item to which the other side points, or in pairs to show that words between them are connected.

A very small quantity, especially one too small to be accurately measured

Make (a structure) stronger or firmer with wood, iron, or other forms of support

A procedure to investigate the source of something, such as the place from which a telephone call was made

A device that holds or fastens two or more parts together or in place; a clamp.

A line which represents the projection of a curve or surface on a plane or the intersection of a curve or surface with a plane.

A device, such as a supporting beam in a building or a connecting wire or rope, that steadies or holds something else erect.

A path or track.

Braces Chiefly British Suspenders.

The sum of the elements in the principal diagonal of a square matrix.

An orthopedic appliance used to support, align, or hold a bodily part in the correct position.

Each of the two side straps, chains, or ropes by which a horse is attached to a vehicle that it is pulling.

Often braces A dental appliance constructed of bands and wires that is fixed to the teeth to correct irregular alignment.

A visible mark, such as a footprint, made or left by the passage of a person, animal, or thing.

An extremely stiff, erect posture.

Evidence or an indication of the former presence or existence of something; a vestige

A cause or source of renewed physical or spiritual vigor.

An extremely small amount or barely perceivable indication

A protective pad strapped to the bow arm of an archer.

A constituent, such as a chemical compound or element, present in quantities less than a standard limit.

(Nautical)A rope by which a yard is swung and secured on a square-rigged ship.

A path or trail that has been beaten out by the passage of animals or people.

A cranklike handle with an adjustable aperture at one end for securing and turning a bit.

An act of researching or ascertaining the origin or location of something

(Music)A leather loop that slides to change the tension on the cord of a drum.

A line drawn by a recording instrument, such as a cardiograph.

A vertical line, usually accompanied by the symbol {, connecting two or more staffs.

The point at which a line, or the curve in which a surface, intersects a coordinate plane.

A set of staffs connected in this way.

The sum of the elements of the principal diagonal of a matrix.

A symbol, { or }, enclosing two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are considered as a unit.

An engram.

(Mathematics)Either of a pair of symbols, { }, used to indicate aggregation or to clarify the grouping of quantities when parentheses and square brackets have already been used. Also called bracket.

One of two side straps or chains connecting a harnessed draft animal to a vehicle or whiffletree.

Pl. brace A pair of like things

A bar or rod, hinged at either end to another part, that transfers movement from one part of a machine to another.

To furnish with a brace.

To go along or follow (a path, for example)

To support or hold steady with or as if with a brace; reinforce.

To follow the course or trail of

To prepare or position so as to be ready for impact or danger

To ascertain the successive stages in the development or progress of

To confront with questions or requests.

To discover or determine by searching or researching evidence

To increase the tension of.

To locate or ascertain the origin of

To invigorate; stimulate

To draw (a line or figure); sketch; delineate.

(Nautical)To turn (the yards of a ship) by the braces.

To form (letters) with special concentration or care.

To get ready; make preparations.

To copy by following lines seen through a sheet of transparent paper.

(obsolete) Armor for the arm; vambrace.

To follow closely (a prescribed pattern)

(obsolete) A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.

To imprint (a design) by pressure with an instrument on a superimposed pattern.

A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.

To make a design or series of markings on (a surface) by such pressure on a pattern.

That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.

To record (a variable), as on a graph.

A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.

To make one's way along a trail or course

A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.

To have origins; be traceable

The state of being braced or tight; tension.

Occurring in extremely small amounts or in quantities less than a standard limit.

Harness; warlike preparation.

An act of tracing.

(typography) A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {role, roll}; in music, used to connect staves.

An enquiry sent out for a missing article, such as a letter or an express package.

A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally (e.g., a brace of conies) and then other things, but rarely human persons. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.

A mark left as a sign of passage of a person or animal.

A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.

A residue of some substance or material.

(nautical) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.

A very small amount.

The mouth of a shaft.

(electronics) A current-carrying conductive pathway on a printed circuit board.

Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.

An informal road or prominent path in an arid area.

(plural in North America, singular or plural in the UK) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.

One of two straps, chains, or ropes of a harness, extending from the collar or breastplate to a whippletree attached to a vehicle or thing to be drawn; a tug.

(association football) Two goals scored by one player in a game.

(engineering) A connecting bar or rod, pivoted at each end to the end of another piece, for transmitting motion, especially from one plane to another; specifically, such a piece in an organ stop action to transmit motion from the trundle to the lever actuating the stop slider.

To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow.

(fortification) The ground plan of a work or works.

To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.

(geometry) The intersection of a plane of projection, or an original plane, with a coordinate plane.

(nautical) To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more efficient sail surface to the direction of the wind.

(mathematics) The sum of the diagonal elements of a square matrix.

To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.

(grammar) An empty category occupying a position in the syntactic structure from which something has been moved, used to explain constructions such as wh-movement and the passive.

To confront with questions, demands or requests.

(transitive) To follow the trail of.

To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.

To follow the history of.

To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.

(transitive) To draw or sketch lightly or with care.

To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

(transitive) To copy onto a sheet of paper superimposed over the original, by drawing over its lines.

That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.

To copy; to imitate.

A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension, as a cord on the side of a drum.

To walk; to go; to travel.

The state of being braced or tight; tension.

To walk over; to pass through; to traverse.

A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.

To follow the execution of the program by making it to stop after every instruction, or by making it print a message after every step.

A vertical curved line connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be taken together; thus, boll, bowl; or, in music, used to connect staves.

One of two straps, chains, or ropes of a harness, extending from the collar or breastplate to a whiffletree attached to a vehicle or thing to be drawn; a tug.

A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.

A connecting bar or rod, pivoted at each end to the end of another piece, for transmitting motion, esp. from one plane to another; specif., such a piece in an organ-stop action to transmit motion from the trundle to the lever actuating the stop slider.

A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.

A mark left by anything passing; a track; a path; a course; a footprint; a vestige; as, the trace of a carriage or sled; the trace of a deer; a sinuous trace.

A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to persons, except familiarly or with some contempt.

A very small quantity of an element or compound in a given substance, especially when so small that the amount is not quantitatively determined in an analysis; - hence, in stating an analysis, often contracted to tr.

Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.

A mark, impression, or visible appearance of anything left when the thing itself no longer exists; remains; token; vestige.

Harness; warlike preparation.

The intersection of a plane of projection, or an original plane, with a coordinate plane.

Armor for the arm; vantbrace.

The ground plan of a work or works.

The mouth of a shaft.

To mark out; to draw or delineate with marks; especially, to copy, as a drawing or engraving, by following the lines and marking them on a sheet superimposed, through which they appear; as, to trace a figure or an outline; a traced drawing.

To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace a beam in a building.

To follow by some mark that has been left by a person or thing which has preceded; to follow by footsteps, tracks, or tokens.

To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves.

Hence, to follow the trace or track of.

To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

To copy; to imitate.

To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly; as, he braced himself against the crowd.

To walk over; to pass through; to traverse.

To move around by means of braces; as, to brace the yards.

To walk; to go; to travel.

To get tone or vigor; to rouse one's energies; - with up.

A just detectable amount;

A support that steadies or strengthens something else;

An indication that something has been present;

Two items of the same kind

A suggestion of some quality;

A set of two similar things considered as a unit

Drawing created by tracing

Either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material

Either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree

A rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it

A visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle

Elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)

Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something;

An appliance that corrects dental irregularities

Make a mark or lines on a surface;

The stock of a tool used for turning a drilling bit

To go back over again;

A structural member used to stiffen a framework

Pursue or chase relentlessly;

Prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult

Discover traces of;

Support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace;

Make one's course or travel along a path; travel or pass over, around, or along;

Support by bracing

Copy by following the lines of the original drawing on a transparent sheet placed upon it; make a tracing of;

Cause to be alert and energetic;

Read with difficulty;