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-- Mineral kingdom (Nat. Sci.), that one of the three grand divisions of nature which embraces all inorganic objects, as distinguished from plants or animals. -- Mineral oil. See Naphtha, and Petroleum. -- Mineral paint, a pigment made chiefly of some natural mineral substance, as red or yellow iron ocher. -- Mine…

the early Christians, and still given by the Roman Catholics, to such as have recently embraced the Christian faith, and been admitted to baptism, esp. to converts from heathenism or Judaism.

one; to gather into a single whole; to unite; to assimilite. [Obs.] The rich folk that embraced and oned all their heart to treasure of the world. Chaucer.

d; as, an open hand; open arms; an open flower; an open prospect. Each, with open arms, embraced her chosen knight. Dryden.

rized by ornament; beautifying; embellishing. Some think it most ornamental to wear their bracelets on their wrists; others, about their ankles. Sir T. Browne.

Two of a sort; a span; a yoke; a couple; a brace; as, a pair of horses; a pair of oxen.

An order, or suborder, of birds, including more that half of all the known species. It embraces all singing birds (Oscines), together with many other small perching birds.

The kiss of peace; also, the embrace in the sanctuary now substituted for it at High Mass in Roman Catholic churches.

nsive division of Coleoptera, including those that normally have five-jointed tarsi. It embraces about half of all the known species of the Coleoptera.

ative. [Obs.] "Physical herbs." Sir T. North. Is Brutus sick and is it physical To walk unbraced, and suck up the humors Of the dank morning Shak. Physical astronomy, that part of astronomy which treats of the causes of the celestial motions; specifically, that which treats of the motions resulting from universal gravi…

A stimulant, restorative, or tonic; a bracer. [Colloq.]

or to separate, by pointing, as figures. -- To point the yards (of a vessel) (Naut.), to brace them so that the wind shall strike the sails obliquely. Totten.

Diagonal braces sometimes fixed across the hold.

The space, at one end, between opposite trusses when these are terminated by inclined braces.

To embrace closely; to hug. Leucothoe shook at these alarms, And pressed Palemon closer in her arms. Pope.

especially, a brief outline or explanation of the order to be pursued, or the subjects embraced, in any public exercise, performance, or entertainment; a preliminary sketch. Programme music (Mus.), descriptive instrumental music which requires an argument or programme to explain the meaning of its several movements.…

to herald; to prefigure. Methought thy very gait did prophesy A royal nobleness; I must embrace thee. Shak.

That which is embraced by eye in vision; the region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook. His eye discovers unaware The goodly prospect of some foreign land. Milton.

d of a ratchet wheel, or ratch, and pawl. See Ratchet wheel, below, and 2d Ratch. Ratchet brace (Mech.), a boring brace, having a ratchet wheel and pawl for rotating the tool by back and forth movements of the brace handle. -- Ratchet drill, a portable machine for working a drill by hand, consisting of a hand lever ca…

the mind by assent to; to give admission to; to accept, as an opinion, notion, etc.; to embrace. Our hearts receive your warnings. Shak. The idea of solidity we receives by our touch. Locke.