Also 5 braoke, brakene (sense 3), 6 braake, 8 Sc. braik (sense 2), 9 break. [Identical with MLG. brake, or ODu. bracke, mod.Du. braak a flax-brake (whence F. braquer to brake flax), f. Du. breken to BREAK. The resemblance of the sb. to the cognate Eng. verb apparently gave rise to the extension of sense by which brake became a generic name of implements used for breaking or crushing. The form brakene in Promp. Parv. may possibly represent the pl. of the MLG. or Du. word.]

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  1.  A toothed instrument for braking flax or hemp.

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c. 1450.  in Wr.-Wülcker, Voc., 608. Rupa, a braoke. Ibid., 696. Hec rupa, a brake.

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1451.  Test. Ebor., III. 119. j brake ij d.

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1552.  Huloet, Brake for flaxe or hempe.

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1611.  Cotgr., Brioche, a brake for hempe.

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1615.  Markham, Eng. Housew. (1660), 132. You may then at your pleasure break it [flax] … in a brake of wood.

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1704.  Dict. Rust. et Urb., Brake or Flax-Blake; is two pieces of timber, with teeth.

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1858.  Carpenter, Veg. Phys., § 516. A very simple machine is used for this purpose, termed a break.

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1869.  Spon, Dict. Engineering, I. 629. Fig. 1285 shows [a] Hemp and Flax Brake.

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  2.  A baker’s kneading-machine.

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c. 1449.  Promp. Parv., 46. Bray or brakene, baxteris instrument, pinsa.

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1567.  Thomas, Ital. Gram., Macinella, a braake to knede dowe withall, or to brake liue hempe.

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1580.  Baret, Alv., B 1108. A Brake, frangibulum, Plin. mactra.

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1617.  Markham, Caval., VI. 15. You shall kneade … first with handes … lastly with the brake.

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  3.  In Brewing and similar processes: A wooden mill to crush green fruits, hops, etc.

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1534.  Eng. Ch. Furniture (1866), 187. A brake to make verjoyce with.

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1571.  Wills & Inv. N. C. (1835), 360. j brake wth the tonge & pynn viijd.

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1616.  Surflet & Markh., Countr. Farm, 425. You shall put them [hops] into a … woodden Brake, and there crush, grind, or bruise them.

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  4.  A heavy harrow for crushing clods. Also called brake-harrow.

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1785.  Burns, 2nd Ep. Lapraik, 2. An’ pownies reek in pleugh or braik.

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1844.  Stephens, Bk. of Farm, II. 532. The brake-harrow is only an enlargement of the common implement…. Brakes are made of various forms.

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  5.  An instrument resembling a pair of scissors set wide open, for peeling the bark from willows for basket-making.

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1824.  Mech. Mag., II. 223. My new invented brake for taking the bark off willows.

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1880.  Jefferies, Hodge & M., II. 89. The willows are carried to the brakes.

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