To prepare yourself or something else for impact or difficulty; or to support something so it stays steady.
From Old French “brace,” meaning “two arms,” from Latin “bracchia,” plural of “bracchium,” meaning “arm.” The idea of arms holding or supporting led to the sense of strengthening or steadying.
When you “brace yourself,” you’re metaphorically using your arms to steady your whole body, even if you don’t move a muscle. The word still carries that image of gripping tight before something hits.
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