Part 1389

<h1>Bridewell</h1> <Xpage=180>

<hw>Bride"well</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <def>A house of correction for the confinement of disorderly persons; -- so called from a hospital built in 1553 near <i>St</i>. <i>Bride's</i> (or <i>Bridget's</i>) <i>well</i>, in London, which was subsequently a penal workhouse.</def>

<h1>Bridge</h1> <Xpage=180>

<hw>Bridge</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[OE. <ets>brig</ets>, <ets>brigge</ets>, <ets>brug</ets>, <ets>brugge</ets>, AS. <ets>brycg</ets>, <ets>bricg</ets>; akin to Fries. <ets>bregge</ets>, D. <ets>brug</ets>, OHG. <ets>bruccu</ets>, G. <ets>br\'81cke</ets>, Icel. <ets>bryggja</ets> pier, bridge, Sw. <ets>brygga</ets>, Dan. <ets>brygge</ets>, and prob. Icel. <ets>br<?/</ets> bridge, Sw. & Dan. <ets>bro</ets> bridge, pavement, and possibly to E. <ets>brow</ets>.]</ety> <p><b>1.</b> <def>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.</def>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>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.</def>

<p><b>3.</b> <fld>(Mus.)</fld> <def>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.</def>

<p><b>4.</b> <fld>(Elec.)</fld> <def>A device to measure the resistance of a wire or other conductor forming part of an electric circuit.</def>

<p><b>5.</b> <def>A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace, for deflecting flame, etc.; -- usually called a <i>bridge wall</i>.</def>

<cs><col>Aqueduct bridge</col>. <cd>See <er>Aqueduct</er>.</cd> -- <mcol><col>Asses' bridge</col>, <col>Bascule bridge</col>, <col>Bateau bridge</col></mcol>. <cd>See under <er>Ass</er>, <er>Bascule</er>, <er>Bateau</er>.</cd> -- <col>Bridge of a steamer</col> <fld>(Naut.)</fld>, <cd>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.</cd> -- <col>Bridge of the nose</col>, <cd>the upper, bony part of the nose.</cd> -- <col>Cantalever bridge</col>. <cd>See under <er>Cantalever</er>.</cd> -- <col>Draw bridge</col>. <cd>See <er>Drawbridge</er>.</cd> -- <col>Flying bridge</col>, <cd>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.</cd> -- <mcol><col>Girder bridge</col> &or; <col>Truss bridge</col></mcol>, <cd>a bridge formed by girders, or by trusses resting upon abutments or piers.</cd> -- <col>Lattice bridge</col>, <cd>a bridge formed by lattice girders.</cd> -- <mcol><col>Pontoon bridge</col>, <col>Ponton bridge</col></mcol>. <cd>See under <er>Pontoon</er>.</cd> -- <col>Skew bridge</col>, <cd>a bridge built obliquely from bank to bank, as sometimes required in railway engineering.</cd> -- <col>Suspension bridge</col>. <cd>See under <er>Suspension</er>.</cd> -- <col>Trestle bridge</col>, <cd>a bridge formed of a series of short, simple girders resting on trestles.</cd> -- <col>Tubular bridge</col>, <cd>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.</cd> -- <col>Wheatstone's bridge</col> <fld>(Elec.)</fld>, <cd>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 <ets>Wheatstone<ets>.</cd></cs>

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<h1>Bridge</h1> <Xpage=181>

<hw>Bridge</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>v. t.</tt> <wordforms>[<tt>imp. & p. p.</tt> <er>Bridged</er> <tt>(<?/)</tt>; <tt>p. pr. & vb. n.</tt> <er>Bridging</er>.]</wordforms> <p><b>1.</b> <def>To build a bridge or bridges on or over; <as>as, to <ex>bridge</ex> a river</as>.</def>

<blockquote>Their simple engineering <b>bridged</b> with felled trees the streams which could not be forded. <i>Palfrey.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>To open or make a passage, as by a bridge.</def>

<blockquote>Xerxes . . . over Hellespont <b>Bridging</b> his way, Europe with Asia joined. <i>Milton.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>3.</b> <def>To find a way of getting over, as a difficulty; -- generally with <i>over</i>.</def>

<h1>Bridgeboard</h1> <Xpage=181>

<hw>Bridge"board`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <p><b>1.</b> <fld>(Arch.)</fld> <def>A notched board to which the treads and risers of the steps of wooden stairs are fastened.</def>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>A board or plank used as a bridge.</def>

<h1>Bridgehead</h1> <Xpage=181>

<hw>Bridge"head`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <def>A fortification commanding the extremity of a bridge nearest the enemy, to insure the preservation and usefulness of the bridge, and prevent the enemy from crossing; a t\'88te-de-pont.</def>

<h1>Bridgeless</h1> <Xpage=181>

<hw>Bridge"less</hw>, <tt>a.</tt> <def>Having no bridge; not bridged.</def>

<h1>Bridgepot</h1> <Xpage=181>

<hw>Bridge"pot`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <fld>(Mining)</fld> <def>The adjustable socket, or step, of a millstone spindle.</def>

<i>Knight.</i>

<h1>Bridgetree</h1> <Xpage=181>

<hw>Bridge"tree`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[<ets>Bridge</ets> + <ets>tree</ets> a beam.]</ety> <fld>(Mining)</fld> <def>The beam which supports the spindle socket of the runner in a grinding mill.</def>