brad

[brad]

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noun

a slender wire nail having either a small, deep head or a projection to one side of the head end.

verb (used with object), brad·ded, brad·ding.

to fasten with brads.

Origin of brad

1425–75; late Middle English brad, dialectal variant of Middle English brod(d) sprout, shoot, nail < Old Norse braddr, cognate with Old English brord spike (see braird)

Brad

[brad]

noun

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for brad

screw, pin, nut, rod, pipe, fastener, spike, latch, rivet, point, nail, staple, pushpin, brad, thumbtack, lag, bar, coupling, lock, stake

Examples from the Web for brad

Contemporary Examples of brad

Joy Woodhouse calls in to tell her bickering boys Brad and Dallas to “get this out of your system” before Christmas.
Mom Scolds Pundit Sons on C-SPAN
Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video
December 16, 2014
Brad Rutter is trying to turn his trivia fame into entertainment.
From Socially Isolated Nerd to Jeopardy! Bad Boy: A Thank You Note
Arthur Chu
November 27, 2014
Cast Angelina Jolie in that role with Brad Pitt as the cave hubbie, and maybe we have a blockbuster in the making.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?
Ted Gioia
November 23, 2014
The fight for marriage equality and legal cases has “sucked the air out of the room for other organizations,” says Brad Becker.
Sex, Suicide, and Homework: The Secret World of the Telephone Hotline
Tim Teeman
November 20, 2014
Maintaining the high caliber of guest to which his viewers have become accustomed, Galifianakis welcomes Brad Pitt to the ferns.
Brad Pitt and Louis C.K. Go ‘Between Two Ferns’
Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video
October 23, 2014

Historical Examples of brad

"Good deal like a quiltin' so fur," remarked Brad Freeman indulgently.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
It seemed, then, that Brad had always cherished one dear ambition.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
"Now put your hand up an' grip that rope that's hangin' there," commanded Brad.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Brad Freeman an' Jont Marshall agreed to play fust an' second fiddle.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
His tone was quite conclusive; and Brad, albeit wondering, said no more.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for brad

brad

noun

a small tapered nail having a small head that is either symmetrical or formed on one side only

Word Origin for brad

Old English brord point, prick; related to Old Norse broddr spike, sting, Old High German brort edge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for brad

"small wire nail," late 13c., brod, from Old Norse broddr "spike, point, arrow," from Proto-Germanic *brozda- (cf. Old English brord "point, prick, blade of grass," Old High German brort "point, edge, crown"), from PIE *bhrs-dh-, from root *bhars- "projectile, point, bristle" (see bristle (n.)).