Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Break \Break\, v. t. [imp. {broke}, (Obs. {Brake}); p. p.
   {Broken}, (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr. & vb. n. {Breaking}.] [OE.
   breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG.
   brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw. braka,
   br["a]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to break, Goth. brikan to
   break, L. frangere. Cf. {Bray} to pound, {Breach},
   {Fragile}.]
   1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with
      violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal;
      to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.
      --Shak.

   2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a
      package of goods.

   3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or
      communicate.

            Katharine, break thy mind to me.      --Shak.

   4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.

            Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To
            break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray. --Milton

   5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or
      terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to
      break one's journey.

            Go, release them, Ariel; My charms I'll break, their
            senses I'll restore.                  --Shak.

   6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as,
      to break a set.

   7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to
      pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British
      squares.

   8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.

            The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments
            with which he had solaced the hours of captivity.
                                                  --Prescott.

   9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller
      denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.

   10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as,
       to break flax.

   11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.

             An old man, broken with the storms of state.
                                                  --Shak.

   12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a
       fall or blow.

             I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall.
                                                  --Dryden.

   13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to,
       and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as,
       to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose
       cautiously to a friend.

   14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to
       discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or
       saddle. ``To break a colt.'' --Spenser.

             Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?
                                                  --Shak.

   15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to
       ruin.

             With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks,
             Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
                                                  --Dryden.

   16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to
       cashier; to dismiss.

             I see a great officer broken.        --Swift.

   Note: With prepositions or adverbs:

   {To break down}.
       (a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's
           strength; to break down opposition.
       (b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to
           break down a door or wall.

   {To break in}.
       (a) To force in; as, to break in a door.
       (b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in.
           

   {To break of}, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break
      one of a habit.

   {To break off}.
       (a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig.
       (b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. ``Break off thy sins by
           righteousness.'' --Dan. iv. 27.

   {To break open}, to open by breaking. ``Open the door, or I
      will break it open.'' --Shak.

   {To break out}, to take or force out by breaking; as, to
      break out a pane of glass.

   {To break out a cargo}, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it
      easily.

   {To break through}.
       (a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the
           force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to
           break through the enemy's lines; to break through the
           ice.
       (b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony.

   {To break up}.
       (a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow
           ground). ``Break up this capon.'' --Shak. ``Break up
           your fallow ground.'' --Jer. iv. 3.
       (b) To dissolve; to put an end to. ``Break up the
           court.'' --Shak.

   {To break} (one) {all up}, to unsettle or disconcert
      completely; to upset. [Colloq.]

   Note: With an immediate object:

   {To break the back}.
       (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally.
       (b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the
           back of a difficult undertaking.

   {To break bulk}, to destroy the entirety of a load by
      removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to
      transfer in detail, as from boats to cars.

   {To break cover}, to burst forth from a protecting
      concealment, as game when hunted.

   {To break a deer} or {stag}, to cut it up and apportion the
      parts among those entitled to a share.

   {To break fast}, to partake of food after abstinence. See
      {Breakfast}.

   {To break ground}.
       (a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence
           excavation, as for building, siege operations, and
           the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a
           canal, or a railroad.
       (b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan.
       (c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom.

   {To break the heart}, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief.
      

   {To break a house} (Law), to remove or set aside with
      violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of
      the fastenings provided to secure it.

   {To break the ice}, to get through first difficulties; to
      overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a
      subject.

   {To break jail}, to escape from confinement in jail, usually
      by forcible means.

   {To break a jest}, to utter a jest. ``Patroclus . . . the
      livelong day breaks scurril jests.'' --Shak.

   {To break joints}, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc.,
      so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with
      those in the preceding course.

   {To break a lance}, to engage in a tilt or contest.

   {To break the neck}, to dislocate the joints of the neck.

   {To break no squares}, to create no trouble. [Obs.]

   {To break a path}, {road}, etc., to open a way through
      obstacles by force or labor.

   {To break upon a wheel}, to execute or torture, as a criminal
      by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs
      with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly
      employed in some countries.

   {To break wind}, to give vent to wind from the anus.

   Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate;
        infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.



   {Ground furze} (Bot.), a low slightly thorny, leguminous
      shrub ({Ononis arvensis}) of Europe and Central Asia,; --
      called also {rest-harrow}.

   {Ground game}, hares, rabbits, etc., as distinguished from
      winged game.

   {Ground hele} (Bot.), a perennial herb ({Veronica
      officinalis}) with small blue flowers, common in Europe
      and America, formerly thought to have curative properties.
      

   {Ground of the heavens} (Astron.), the surface of any part of
      the celestial sphere upon which the stars may be regarded
      as projected.

   {Ground hemlock} (Bot.), the yew ({Taxus baccata} var.
      Canadensisi) of eastern North America, distinguished from
      that of Europe by its low, straggling stems.

   {Ground hog}. (Zo["o]l.)
       (a) The woodchuck or American marmot ({Arctomys monax}).
           See {Woodchuck}.
       (b) The aardvark.

   {Ground hold} (Naut.), ground tackle. [Obs.] --Spenser.

   {Ground ice}, ice formed at the bottom of a body of water
      before it forms on the surface.

   {Ground ivy}. (Bot.) A trailing plant; alehoof. See {Gill}.
      

   {Ground joist}, a joist for a basement or ground floor; a.
      sleeper.

   {Ground lark} (Zo["o]l.), the European pipit. See {Pipit}.

   {Ground laurel} (Bot.). See {Trailing arbutus}, under
      {Arbutus}.

   {Ground line} (Descriptive Geom.), the line of intersection
      of the horizontal and vertical planes of projection.

   {Ground liverwort} (Bot.), a flowerless plant with a broad
      flat forking thallus and the fruit raised on peduncled and
      radiated receptacles ({Marchantia polymorpha}).

   {Ground mail}, in Scotland, the fee paid for interment in a
      churchyard.

   {Ground mass} (Geol.), the fine-grained or glassy base of a
      rock, in which distinct crystals of its constituents are
      embedded.

   {Ground parrakeet} (Zo["o]l.), one of several Australian
      parrakeets, of the genera {Callipsittacus} and
      {Geopsittacus}, which live mainly upon the ground.

   {Ground pearl} (Zo["o]l.), an insect of the family
      {Coccid[ae]} ({Margarodes formicarum}), found in ants'
      nests in the Bahamas, and having a shelly covering. They
      are strung like beads, and made into necklaces by the
      natives.

   {Ground pig} (Zo["o]l.), a large, burrowing, African rodent
      ({Aulacodus Swinderianus}) about two feet long, allied to
      the porcupines but with harsh, bristly hair, and no
      spines; -- called also {ground rat}.

   {Ground pigeon} (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of
      pigeons which live largely upon the ground, as the
      tooth-billed pigeon ({Didunculus strigirostris}), of the
      Samoan Islands, and the crowned pigeon, or goura. See
      {Goura}, and {Ground dove} (above).

   {Ground pine}. (Bot.)
       (a) A blue-flowered herb of the genus {Ajuga} ({A.
           Cham[ae]pitys}), formerly included in the genus
           {Teucrium} or germander, and named from its resinous
           smell. --Sir J. Hill.
       (b) A long, creeping, evergreen plant of the genus
           {Lycopodium} ({L. clavatum}); -- called also {club
           moss}.
       (c) A tree-shaped evergreen plant about eight inches in
           height, of the same genus ({L. dendroideum}) found in
           moist, dark woods in the northern part of the United
           States. --Gray.

   {Ground plan} (Arch.), a plan of the ground floor of any
      building, or of any floor, as distinguished from an
      elevation or perpendicular section.

   {Ground plane}, the horizontal plane of projection in
      perspective drawing.

   {Ground plate}.
       (a) (Arch.) One of the chief pieces of framing of a
           building; a timber laid horizontally on or near the
           ground to support the uprights; a ground sill or
           groundsel.
       (b) (Railroads) A bed plate for sleepers or ties; a
           mudsill.
       (c) (Teleg.) A metallic plate buried in the earth to
           conduct the electric current thereto. Connection to
           the pipes of a gas or water main is usual in cities.
           --Knight.

   {Ground plot}, the ground upon which any structure is
      erected; hence, any basis or foundation; also, a ground
      plan.

   {Ground plum} (Bot.), a leguminous plant ({Astragalus
      caryocarpus}) occurring from the Saskatchewan to Texas,
      and having a succulent plum-shaped pod.

   {Ground rat}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Ground pig} (above).

   {Ground rent}, rent paid for the privilege of building on
      another man's land.

   {Ground robin}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Chewink}.

   {Ground room}, a room on the ground floor; a lower room.
      --Tatler.

   {Ground sea}, the West Indian name for a swell of the ocean,
      which occurs in calm weather and without obvious cause,
      breaking on the shore in heavy roaring billows; -- called
      also {rollers}, and in Jamaica, {the North sea}.

   {Ground sill}. See {Ground plate} (a) (above).

   {Ground snake} (Zo["o]l.), a small burrowing American snake
      ({Celuta am[oe]na}). It is salmon colored, and has a blunt
      tail.

   {Ground squirrel}. (Zo["o]l.)
       (a) One of numerous species of burrowing rodents of the
           genera {Tamias} and {Spermophilus}, having cheek
           pouches. The former genus includes the Eastern
           striped squirrel or chipmunk and some allied Western
           species; the latter includes the prairie squirrel or
           striped gopher, the gray gopher, and many allied
           Western species. See {Chipmunk}, and {Gopher}.
       (b) Any species of the African genus {Xerus}, allied to
           {Tamias}.

   {Ground story}. Same as {Ground floor} (above).

   {Ground substance} (Anat.), the intercellular substance, or
      matrix, of tissues.

   {Ground swell}.
       (a) (Bot.) The plant groundsel. [Obs.] --Holland.
       (b) A broad, deep swell or undulation of the ocean,
           caused by a long continued gale, and felt even at a
           remote distance after the gale has ceased.

   {Ground table}. (Arch.) See Earth table, under Earth.

   {Ground tackle} (Naut.), the tackle necessary to secure a
      vessel at anchor. --Totten.

   {Ground thrush} (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of
      bright-colored Oriental birds of the family {Pittid[ae]}.
      See {Pitta}.

   {Ground tier}.
       (a) The lowest tier of water casks in a vessel's hold.
           --Totten.
       (b) The lowest line of articles of any kind stowed in a
           vessel's hold.
       (c) The lowest range of boxes in a theater.

   {Ground timbers} (Shipbuilding) the timbers which lie on the
      keel and are bolted to the keelson; floor timbers.
      --Knight.

   {Ground tit}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Ground wren} (below).

   {Ground wheel}, that wheel of a harvester, mowing machine,
      etc., which, rolling on the ground, drives the mechanism.
      

   {Ground wren} (Zo["o]l.), a small California bird ({Cham[ae]a
      fasciata}) allied to the wrens and titmice. It inhabits
      the arid plains. Called also {ground tit}, and {wren tit}.
      

   {To bite the ground}, {To break ground}. See under {Bite},
      {Break}.

   {To come to the ground}, {To fall to the ground}, to come to
      nothing; to fail; to miscarry.

   {To gain ground}.
       (a) To advance; to proceed forward in conflict; as, an
           army in battle gains ground.
       (b) To obtain an advantage; to have some success; as, the
           army gains ground on the enemy.
       (c) To gain credit; to become more prosperous or
           influential.

   {To get, or To gather}, {ground}, to gain ground. [R.]
      ``Evening mist . . . gathers ground fast.'' --Milton.

            There is no way for duty to prevail, and get ground
            of them, but by bidding higher.       --South.

   {To give ground}, to recede; to yield advantage.

            These nine . . . began to give me ground. --Shak.

   {To lose ground}, to retire; to retreat; to withdraw from the
      position taken; hence, to lose advantage; to lose credit
      or reputation; to decline.

   {To stand one's ground}, to stand firm; to resist attack or
      encroachment. --Atterbury.

   {To take the ground} to touch bottom or become stranded; --
      said of a ship.