Adjacent Words

Bridge definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BRIDGE, n.
1. Any structure of wood, stone, brick, or iron, raised over a river, pond, or lake, for the passage of men and other animals. Among rude nations, bridges are sometimes formed of other materials; and sometimes they are formed of boats, or logs of wood lying on the water, fastened together, covered with planks, and called floating bridges. A bridge over a marsh is made of logs or other materials laid upon the surface of the earth.
Pendent or hanging bridges are not supported by posts, but by the peculiar structure of the frame, resting only on the abutments.
A draw bridge is one which is made with hinges, and may be raised or opened. Such bridges are constructed in fortifications, to hinder the passage of a ditch or moat; and over rivers, that the passage of vessels need not be interrupted.
A flying bridge is made of pontoons, light boats, hollow beams, empty casks or the like. They are made, as occasion requires, for the passage of armies.
A flying bridge is also constructed in such a manner as to move from one side of a river to the other, being made fast in the middle of the river by a cable and an anchor.
1. The upper part of the nose.
2. The part of a stringed instrument of music, over which the strings are stretched, and by which they are raised.
3. In gunnery, the two pieces of timber which go between the two transoms of a gun-carriage.
BRIDGE, v.t. To build a bridge or bridges over; as, to bridge a river.
1. To erect bridges on; to make a passage by a bridge or bridges.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc. [syn: bridge, span]
2: a circuit consisting of two branches (4 arms arranged in a diamond configuration) across which a meter is connected [syn: bridge, bridge circuit]
3: something resembling a bridge in form or function; "his letters provided a bridge across the centuries"
4: the hard ridge that forms the upper part of the nose; "her glasses left marks on the bridge of her nose"
5: any of various card games based on whist for four players
6: a wooden support that holds the strings up
7: a denture anchored to teeth on either side of missing teeth [syn: bridge, bridgework]
8: the link between two lenses; rests on the nose [syn: bridge, nosepiece]
9: an upper deck where a ship is steered and the captain stands [syn: bridge, bridge deck] v
1: connect or reduce the distance between [syn: bridge, bridge over]
2: make a bridge across; "bridge a river"
3: cross over on a bridge

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English brigge, from Old English brycg; akin to Old High German brucka bridge, Old Church Slavic br?v?no beam Date: before 12th century 1. a. a structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle b. a time, place, or means of connection or transition 2. something resembling a bridge in form or function: as a. the upper bony part of the nose; also the part of a pair of glasses that rests upon it b. a piece raising the strings of a musical instrument — see violin illustration c. the forward part of a ship's superstructure from which the ship is navigated d. gantry 2b e. the hand as a rest for a billiards or pool cue; also a device used as a cue rest 3. a. a musical passage linking two sections of a composition b. a partial denture anchored to adjacent teeth c. a connection (as an atom or group of atoms) that joins two different parts of a molecule (as opposite sides of a ring) 4. an electrical instrument or network for measuring or comparing resistances, inductances, capacitances, or impedances by comparing the ratio of two opposing voltages to a known ratio • bridgeless adjective II. transitive verb (bridged; bridging) Date: before 12th century 1. to make a bridge over or across <bridge the gap>; also to join by a bridge 2. to provide with a bridge • bridgeable adjective III. noun Etymology: alteration of earlier biritch, of unknown origin Date: circa 1897 any of various card games for usually four players in two partnerships that bid for the right to declare a trump suit, seek to win tricks equal to the final bid, and play with the hand of declarer's partner exposed and played by declarer; especially contract bridge

Britannica Concise

Structure that spans horizontally to allow pedestrians and vehicles to cross a void. Bridge construction has always presented civil engineering with its greatest challenges. The simplest bridge is the beam (or girder) bridge, consisting of straight, rigid beams placed across a span (e.g., a tree trunk laid across a stream). Ancient Roman bridges are famous for their rounded arch form, which permitted spans much longer than those of stone beams and were more durable than wood. A modification of the arch bridge was the drawbridge, developed during medieval times. The lift bridge, another movable type, can change position to allow clearance for ships and boats. Suspension bridges (e.g., Brooklyn Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge) are capable of spanning great distances; their main support members are cables composed of thousands of strands of wire supported by two towers and anchored at each end, and the roadway is supported by vertical cables hung from the main cables. Other bridges include the truss bridge, popular (e.g., for railroad bridges) because it uses a relatively small amount of material to carry large loads, and the cantilever bridge, typically made with three spans, with the outer spans anchored down at the shore and the central span resting on the cantilevered arms. Any of various card games similar to whist for four players in two partnerships. Bridge is played with a 52-card pack, all of whose cards are dealt face downward one at a time, clockwise. The object is to win tricks, or hands consisting of one card from each player in rotation. The players must, if able, contribute a card of the suit led, and the trick is won by the highest card. Before play begins, a suit may be designated the trump suit, in which case any card in it beats any card of the other suits. The two most popular forms of bridge are contract bridge, in which overtricks (i.e., tricks made in excess of the bid) do not count toward game or slam (single-hand) bonuses, and auction bridge, in which such tricks are scored toward the game. The whist and bridge family of games are of English origin. Structure that spans horizontally to allow pedestrians and vehicles to cross a void. Bridge construction has always presented civil engineering with its greatest challenges. The simplest bridge is the beam (or girder) bridge, consisting of straight, rigid beams placed across a span (e.g., a tree trunk laid across a stream). Ancient Roman bridges are famous for their rounded arch form, which permitted spans much longer than those of stone beams and were more durable than wood. A modification of the arch bridge was the drawbridge, developed during medieval times. The lift bridge, another movable type, can change position to allow clearance for ships and boats. Suspension bridges (e.g., Brooklyn Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge) are capable of spanning great distances; their main support members are cables composed of thousands of strands of wire supported by two towers and anchored at each end, and the roadway is supported by vertical cables hung from the main cables. Other bridges include the truss bridge, popular (e.g., for railroad bridges) because it uses a relatively small amount of material to carry large loads, and the cantilever bridge, typically made with three spans, with the outer spans anchored down at the shore and the central span resting on the cantilevered arms. Any of various card games similar to whist for four players in two partnerships. Bridge is played with a 52-card pack, all of whose cards are dealt face downward one at a time, clockwise. The object is to win tricks, or hands consisting of one card from each player in rotation. The players must, if able, contribute a card of the suit led, and the trick is won by the highest card. Before play begins, a suit may be designated the trump suit, in which case any card in it beats any card of the other suits. The two most popular forms of bridge are contract bridge, in which overtricks (i.e., tricks made in excess of the bid) do not count toward game or slam (single-hand) bonuses, and auction bridge, in which such tricks are scored toward the game. The whist and bridge family of games are of English origin.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a structure carrying a road, path, railway, etc., across a stream, ravine, road, railway, etc. b anything providing a connection between different things (English is a bridge between nations). 2 the superstructure on a ship from which the captain and officers direct operations. 3 the upper bony part of the nose. 4 Mus. an upright piece of wood on a violin etc. over which the strings are stretched. 5 = BRIDGEWORK. 6 Billiards etc. a a long stick with a structure at the end which is used to support a cue for a difficult shot. b a support for a cue formed by a raised hand. 7 = land-bridge. --v.tr. 1 a be a bridge over (a fallen tree bridges the stream). b make a bridge over; span. 2 span as if with a bridge (bridged their differences with understanding). Phrases and idioms: bridge of asses = pons asinorum. bridge of boats a bridge formed by mooring boats together abreast across a river etc. bridge passage Mus. a transitional piece between main themes. bridging loan a loan from a bank etc. to cover the short interval between buying a house etc. and selling another. cross a (or that) bridge when one comes to it deal with a problem when and if it arises. Derivatives: bridgeable adj. Etymology: OE brycg f. Gmc 2. n. a card-game derived from whist, in which one player's cards are exposed and are played by his or her partner (cf. auction bridge, contract bridge). Phrases and idioms: bridge roll a small soft bread roll. Etymology: 19th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bridge Bridge, n. A card game resembling whist. Note: The trump, if any, is determined by the dealer or his partner, the value of each trick taken over six being: for ``no trumps'' 12, hearts 8, diamonds 6, clubs 4, spades 2. The opponents of the dealer can, after the trump is declared, double the value of the tricks, in which case the dealer or his partner can redouble, and so on. The dealer plays his partner's hand as a dummy. The side which first reaches or exceeds 30 points scored for tricks wins a game; the side which first wins two games wins a rubber. The total score for any side is the sum of the points scored for tricks, for rubbers (each of which counts 100), for honors (which follow a special schedule of value), and for slam, little slam, and chicane.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bridge Bridge (br[i^]j), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bridged (br[i^]jd); p. pr. & vb. n. Bridging.] 1. To build a bridge or bridges on or over; as, to bridge a river. Their simple engineering bridged with felled trees the streams which could not be forded. --Palfrey. 2. To open or make a passage, as by a bridge. Xerxes . . . over Hellespont Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined. --Milton. 3. To find a way of getting over, as a difficulty; -- generally with over.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bridge Bridge, n. [OE. brig, brigge, brug, brugge, AS. brycg, bricg; akin to Fries. bregge, D. brug, OHG. brucca, G. br["u]cke, Icel. bryggja pier, bridge, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and prob. Icel. br[=u] bridge, Sw. & Dan. bro bridge, pavement, and possibly to E. brow.] 1. A structure, usually of wood, stone, brick, or iron, erected over a river or other water course, or over a chasm, railroad, etc., to make a passageway from one bank to the other. 2. Anything supported at the ends, which serves to keep some other thing from resting upon the object spanned, as in engraving, watchmaking, etc., or which forms a platform or staging over which something passes or is conveyed. 3. (Mus.) The small arch or bar at right angles to the strings of a violin, guitar, etc., serving of raise them and transmit their vibrations to the body of the instrument. 4. (Elec.) A device to measure the resistance of a wire or other conductor forming part of an electric circuit. 5. A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace, for deflecting flame, etc.; -- usually called a bridge wall. Aqueduct bridge. See Aqueduct. Asses' bridge, Bascule bridge, Bateau bridge. See under Ass, Bascule, Bateau. Bridge of a steamer (Naut.), a narrow platform across the deck, above the rail, for the convenience of the officer in charge of the ship; in paddlewheel vessels it connects the paddle boxes. Bridge of the nose, the upper, bony part of the nose. Cantalever bridge. See under Cantalever. Draw bridge. See Drawbridge. Flying bridge, a temporary bridge suspended or floating, as for the passage of armies; also, a floating structure connected by a cable with an anchor or pier up stream, and made to pass from bank to bank by the action of the current or other means. Girder bridge or Truss bridge, a bridge formed by girders, or by trusses resting upon abutments or piers. Lattice bridge, a bridge formed by lattice girders. Pontoon bridge, Ponton bridge. See under Pontoon. Skew bridge, a bridge built obliquely from bank to bank, as sometimes required in railway engineering. Suspension bridge. See under Suspension. Trestle bridge, a bridge formed of a series of short, simple girders resting on trestles. Tubular bridge, a bridge in the form of a hollow trunk or rectangular tube, with cellular walls made of iron plates riveted together, as the Britannia bridge over the Menai Strait, and the Victoria bridge at Montreal. Wheatstone's bridge (Elec.), a device for the measurement of resistances, so called because the balance between the resistances to be measured is indicated by the absence of a current in a certain wire forming a bridge or connection between two points of the apparatus; -- invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bridges, bridging, bridged) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A bridge is a structure that is built over a railway, river, or road so that people or vehicles can cross from one side to the other. He walked back over the railway bridge. ...the Golden Gate Bridge. N-COUNT 2. A bridge between two places is a piece of land that joins or connects them. ...a land bridge linking Serbian territories. N-COUNT: usu with supp 3. To bridge the gap between two people or things means to reduce it or get rid of it. It is unlikely that the two sides will be able to bridge their differences. = overcome VERB: V n 4. Something that bridges the gap between two very different things has some of the qualities of each of these things. ...the singer who bridged the gap between pop music and opera. VERB: V n 5. If something or someone acts as a bridge between two people, groups, or things, they connect them. We hope this book will act as a bridge between doctor and patient... They saw themselves as a bridge to peace. N-COUNT: usu N prep 6. The bridge is the place on a ship from which it is steered. N-COUNT: usu sing 7. The bridge of your nose is the thin top part of it, between your eyes. On the bridge of his hooked nose was a pair of gold rimless spectacles. N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n 8. The bridge of a pair of glasses is the part that rests on your nose. N-COUNT: usu sing 9. The bridge of a violin, guitar, or other stringed instrument is the small piece of wood under the strings that holds them up. N-COUNT: usu sing 10. Bridge is a card game for four players in which the players begin by declaring how many tricks they expect to win. 11. see also suspension bridge 12. water under the bridge: see water

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

brij (gephura, 2 Macc 12:13 the King James Version; the Revised Version (British and American) GEPHYRUN): Does not occur in the canonical Scriptures, unless it be indirectly in the proper name Geshur (geshur, 2Sa 3:3; 13:37; 15:8; 1Ch 2:23, and others). The so-called Jacob's bridge is said to mark the site where Jacob crossed the upper Jordan on his return from Paddan-aram, but, of course, does not date from the time of the patriarch. There are traces of ancient bridges across the Jordan in the vicinity of the Lake of Gennesaret, over the Arnon and over other rivers which enter the Jordan from the east; but none of them seem to date farther back than the Roman period. Na 2:6, in which the Chaldaic paraphrase renders "bridges," evidently refers to dikes or weirs. Judas Maccabeus is said to have planted a bridge in order to besiege the town of Casphor (2 Macc 12:13). Josephus (Ant., V, i, 3) tells us that the Jordan, before the passage of the Israelites, had never been bridged, evidently implying that in his own time bridges had been constructed over it, which was the case, under the Romans. The bridge connecting the temple with the upper part of the city of which Josephus speaks (War, VI, vi, 2; Ant, XV, xi, 5) probably was a viaduct.

Frank E. Hirsch

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Build a bridge over or upon, span with a bridge. 2. [Usually with over.] Span, traverse, overcome, surmount.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To make a bridge of any one's nose; to push the bottle past him, so as to deprive him of his turn of filling his glass; to pass one over. Also to play booty, or purposely to avoid winning.

Moby Thesaurus

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