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n. - A fern of the genus Pteris, esp. the P. aquilina, common in almost all countries. It has solitary stems dividing into three principal branches. Less properly: Any fern.
n. - A thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with undergrowth and ferns, or with canes.
v. t. - An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.
v. t. - An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine.
v. t. - A baker's kneading though.
v. t. - A sharp bit or snaffle.
v. t. - A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.
v. t. - That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.
v. t. - An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.
v. t. - A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag.
v. t. - A piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction, as of a carriage or railway car, by the pressure of rubbers against the wheels, or of clogs or ratchets against the track or roadway, or of a pivoted lever against a wheel or drum in a machine.
v. t. - An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine, or other motor, by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will overcome; a friction brake.
v. t. - A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.
v. t. - An ancient instrument of torture.
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