braving

Pluralbravings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of brave.

   Braving thick smoke, the rescuers carried the family to safety.

   The climbers were praised for braving the brutal winds near the peak.

   Note

   The working form of the verb, and always transitive: one braves something, such as the cold, the crowds or a storm. As a participle it opens clauses (braving the smoke, they went in). As a gerund it names the act (her braving of the crowds). Older texts hold a surprise, because the verb once also meant to adorn or make showy, so braving there may mean dressing something up.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   An instance of bravado; a boastful display of daring or defiance.

   Like a rooster puffing up its chest to look bigger than it is.

   The duke's braving before the duel barely masked his fear.

   Their bravings rang hollow once the enemy advanced on the walls.

   Similarbravado, bluster, swagger, posturing, boasting

   Note

   A countable noun for an outburst of defiance, comfortable in the plural as bravings. George Chapman's translation of Homer (1614–1615) sets it beside threats in "Of threats and bravings," and that pairing shows its flavor: talk that dares an enemy rather than deeds that do. Bravado names the attitude, while bravings are its separate, audible displays.

3. 3
   adjectivearchaic

   Daring and defiant; ready to face danger or opposition with bold resolve.

   His braving spirit carried the troops through the long siege.

   With a braving glance, she refused to yield to the magistrate.

   Note

   An old adjective that describes a manner more often than a person. Samuel Pepys, writing in March 1667, has people agree "in a most braving manner". That shows how it compares: with more and most rather than with endings. Because it is archaic, modern prose uses it mainly for deliberate period color, such as historical fiction or pastiche. Plain defiant does the everyday work.

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