Breeches buoy, in the life-saving service, a pair of canvas breeches depending from an annular or beltlike life buoy which is usually of cork. This contrivance, inclosing the person to be rescued, is hung by short ropes from a block which runs upon the hawser stretched from the ship to the shore, and is drawn to land by hauling lines. -- Breeches pipe, a forked pipe forming two branches united at one end. -- Knee breeches, breeches coming to the knee, and buckled or fastened there; smallclothes. -- To wear the breeches, to usurp the authority of the husband; -- said of a wife. [Colloq.]
Breech"ing (&?;), n. 1. A whipping on the breech, or the act of whipping on the breech.
I view the prince with Aristarchus' eyes,
Whose looks were as a breeching to a boy.
Marlowe.
2. That part of a harness which passes round the breech of a horse, enabling him to hold back a vehicle.
3. (Naut.) A strong rope rove through the cascabel of a cannon and secured to ringbolts in the ship's side, to limit the recoil of the gun when it is discharged.
4. The sheet iron casing at the end of boilers to convey the smoke from the flues to the smokestack.
Breech"load`er (&?;), n. A firearm which receives its load at the breech.
For cavalry, the revolver and breechloader will supersede the saber.
Rep. Sec. War (1860).
Breech"-load`ing, a. Receiving the charge at the breech instead of at the muzzle.
{ Breech" pin` (&?;), Breech" screw` } (&?;). A strong iron or steel plug screwed into the breech of a musket or other firearm, to close the bottom of the bore.
Breech" sight` (&?;). A device attached to the breech of a firearm, to guide the eye, in conjunction with the front sight, in taking aim.
Breed (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bred (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Breeding.] [OE. breden, AS. brdan to nourish, cherish, keep warm, from brd brood; akin to D. broeden to brood, OHG. bruoten, G. brüten. See Brood.] 1. To produce as offspring; to bring forth; to bear; to procreate; to generate; to beget; to hatch.
Yet every mother breeds not sons alike.
Shak.
If the sun breed maggots in a dead dog.
Shak.
2. To take care of in infancy, and through the age of youth; to bring up; to nurse and foster.
To bring thee forth with pain, with care to breed.
Dryden.
Born and bred on the verge of the wilderness.
Everett.
3. To educate; to instruct; to form by education; to train; -- sometimes followed by up.
But no care was taken to breed him a Protestant.
Bp. Burnet.
His farm may not remove his children too far from him, or the trade he breeds them up in.
Locke.
4. To engender; to cause; to occasion; to originate; to produce; as, to breed a storm; to breed disease.
Lest the place
And my quaint habits breed astonishment.
Milton.
5. To give birth to; to be the native place of; as, a pond breeds fish; a northern country breeds stout men.