imp. of break.-a fern of the genus pteris, esp. the p. aquilina, common in almost all countries. it has solitary stems dividing into three principal branches. less properly: any fern.-a thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with undergrowth and ferns, or with canes.-an instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.-an extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine.-a baker's kneading though.-a sharp bit or snaffle.-a frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.-that part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.-an ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.-a large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag.-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.-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.-a cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.-an ancient instrument of torture.-of break