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bridge¹ Definition

bridge (brij)

noun

  1. a structure built over a river, railroad, highway, etc. to provide a way across for vehicles or pedestrians
  2. a thing that provides connection, contact, or transition a common language is a bridge between cultures
    1. the upper, bony part of the nose
    2. the curved bow of a pair of eyeglasses fitting over the nose
    1. a thin arched, usually wooden support on the belly of violins, lutes, guitars, etc. over which the strings are stretched
    2. a similar support for the strings of a piano, harpsichord, etc.
  5. an overhead framework across sets of railroad tracks, for carrying signals; gantry
  6. a raised structure on a ship, usually in the forward part, from which it is controlled while underway
  7. a dividing partition for keeping fuel in place in a furnace or boiler
  8. Billiards
    1. a position of the hand when it is functioning as a support and guide for the cue in making a shot
    2. a device consisting of a notched transverse piece attached to the end of a cue having the same function
  9. Chem. hydrogen bond
  10. Dentistry a fixed or removable mounting for a false tooth or teeth, attached to a real tooth or teeth
  11. Elec. a device used primarily in measuring resistances, frequencies, etc., by comparing the effect of the unknown element with that of known or standard elements in the circuit
  12. Music a connecting passage between two sections of a composition

Etymology: ME brigge < OE brycge < IE base *bhrū, log, beam, hence wooden causeway

transitive verb bridged, bridg′·ing

  1. to build a bridge on or over
  2. to provide a bridge, connection, transition, etc. across or between

adjective

designating or of products priced between the least expensive and the premium a bridge line

bridge¹ Related Forms
bridge′·able adjective
bridge¹ Idioms

burn one's bridges (behind one)

to commit oneself to a course from which there is no retreat

bridge² Definition

bridge (brij)

noun

any of various card games, for two pairs of players, that developed from whist; esp., contract bridge

Etymology: earlier (1886) biritch, “Russian whist,” altered after bridge; game and name ? of Russ orig.

bridge Synonyms

bridge

n.

  1. An elevated structure

    viaduct, platform, pontoon, catwalk, gangplank, drawbridge, trestle, overpass, span, scaffold.

    Types of bridges include: arch, pier, gantry, leg, suspension, truss, trestle, cantilever, bowstring, tubular, bascule, pontoon, swing, tubular-arch, turnpike, floating, steel arch, vertical lift, draw, box-girder, lattice, hoist, induction, bottom-road, arched-truss, panel-truss, covered, covered Bailey.

  2. Famous bridges include: Alexander Hamilton, Ambassador, Bayonne, Bronx-Whitestone, Brooklyn, Carquinez Strait, Chesapeake Bay, Corpus Christi, Eads, Firth of Forth, Florianopolis, George Washington, Golden Gate, Henry Hudson, Iberville Memorial, Karlsbrücke, Kitchikas, Lake Pontchartrain, London, Mackinac, Oakland or Bay Bridge, Pont Neuf, Pont d'Avignon, Ponte Vecchio, Verrazano-Narrows, Bridge of Sighs, Bridge of St. Angelo.

  3. A game at cards

    whist, bridge-whist, contract bridge, auction bridge, duplicate bridge, rubber bridge, honeymoon bridge; see also game 1.

  4. A link

    connection, bond, tie; see joint 1, link.

burn one's bridges

commit oneself, be determined, go forward resolutely, cross the Rubicon; see advance 1.

bridge Synonyms

bridge

v.

connect, span, link; see join 1.

bridge Telecom Definition
  1. A simple, protocol-specific device that interconnects two or more links in a circuit, reading the destination address of an incoming data frame and forwarding to the next link in the direction of the target device. A bridge also acts as a repeater, amplifying, reshaping, and retiming the input signal. A bridge does not perform complex processes on the data frames, and neither does it attempt to evaluate the network as a whole to make end-to-end routing decisions.
  2. A simple, protocol-specific device that interconnects two or more segments in a local area network (LAN), or two or more LANs of the same architecture (e.g., Ethernet-to-Ethernet).A bridge reads the destination address of an incoming data frame and forwards it to the next segment in the direction of the target device. A bridge also acts as a repeater, amplifying, reshaping and retiming the input signal to extend the physical reach of the LAN. Bridges operate at the lower two layers of the OSI Reference Model, providing Physical Layer and Data Link Layer connectivity. Specific bridge protocols include source routing protocol (SRP), source routing transparent (SRT), spanning tree protocol (STP). See also architecture, circuit, Data Link Layer, encapsulating bridge, filtering bridge, frame, LAN, link, OSI Reference Model, Physical Layer, protocol, repeater, router, self-learning bridge, SRP, SRT, and STP.
bridge Usage Examples

Object

  • gap: Stock markets have not yet bridged the gap in investment finance.
  • divide: The religious belief in Mithra attracted people from all walks of life, bridging the class divide.
  • gulf: In fact the gap between politics and people is getting wider and the big question is how to bridge that gulf.
  • chasm: Any tips on how to bridge this technical chasm?

Converse of object

  • cross: We followed the path around the field's edges, crossing bridges, then an earth bridge.
  • build: Using 4 matches build a strong bridge between them.

Adjective modifier

  • wooden: A small wooden bridge leads from the orchard to the large carp lake.
  • arched: The three arched bridge was built on the foundations of the old bridge first laid in 1245.
  • pedestrian: The pedestrian bridge across Leith Street can just be seen in the distance.
  • narrow: On the way down, watch out for the sharp bends and narrow hump back bridge at the bottom!

Modifies a noun

  • abutment: Railings to the bridge abutments were added in the same year.
  • parapet: This seems unlikley and, if true, most of these would be wild animals, irrelevant to the height of bridge parapets.
  • toll: Locally, there were the bridge tolls, the state of the town center and the fate of the local hospital.
  • deck: The road to the park is usually closed to traffic during such events and the bridge deck can be totally covered by pedestrians.

Noun used with modifier

  • railroad: Meet at the entrance to the Reserve by the disused railroad bridge at 2pm.
  • suspension: The Incas ' woven grass suspension bridges were strong enough to carry the Spanish army.
  • swing: Came through the West Mills swing bridge with another boat that was just going through to turn.
  • girder: Showing a steel girder bridge across the Mgeni River, probably near Pietermaritzburg.
  • canal: He came within half a mile of taking a canal bridge on the road to Nijmegen.
  • packhorse: The old Sheepwash bridge is a narrow packhorse bridge, over the River Wye, dating from the 17th century.
bridge Quotes

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ryTay! Alas! I am very sorry to say That ninety lives have been taken away On the last Sabbath day of1879, Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

—McGonagall,William

Was groÞ ist am Menschen, das ist, dass er eine Bru«  cke und kein Zweck ist. Nietzsche What isgreat in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal.

—Nietzsche, FriedrichWilhelm

Ever since I was engaged on Principia Mathematica, I have had a certainmethod of whichat first Iwasscarcely conscious, but which has gradually become more explicit in my thinking. The method consists in an attempt to build a bridge between the world of sense and the world of science.

—Russell, Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl

The Colonial Secretary [Iain Macleod] has been too clever by half.Ibelievethat heisavery fine bridgeplayer. It isnot considered immoral, or even bad form, to outwit one's opponent at bridge.It almost seems to me as if the Colonial Secretary, when he abandoned the sphere of bridge for the sphere of politics, brought his bridge technique with him.

—of Salisbury

Honoria†is one of those robust, dynamic girls with the muscles of awelter-weight and a laugh likea squadronof cavalry charging over a tin bridge.

—Plum

Cricket can be a bridge and a glue† Cricket for peace is my mission.

—Zia Ul-Haq, Mohammed

'In about half a mile you cross the river by an Irish bridgeö' 'Whatever is that?' 'It'sjust a bridge, but built under thewater instead ofover it.' 'Extremely sensible.'

—Stewart,John Innes Mackintosh

Faithöis the Pierless Bridge Supporting what We see Unto the Scene that We do not.

—Dickinson, Emily Elizabeth

With weeping and with laughter Still is the story told, How well Horatius kept the bridge In the brave days of old.

—1st Baron

'Now who will stand on either hand, And keep the bridge with me?'

—1st Baron

Life is a cycle, and mime is particularly suitable for showing fluidity, transformation, metamorphosis. Words can keep people apart; mime can be a bridge between them.

—Marceau, Marcel

I might as well play bridge with my old maid aunts I haven't got a chance This is a fine romance.

—Fields, Dorothy

   Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.

—Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeyevich

   By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard around the world.

—Emerson, RalphWaldo

It is the nature of a man as he grows older, a small bridge intime, toprotest againstchange, particularlychangefor the better.

—Steinbeck,John Ernest

Our Meistersinger, thou set breath in steel; And it was thou who on the boldest heel Stood up and flung the span on even wing Of that great Bridge, our Myth, whereof I sing.

—Crane, (Harold) Hart

I stood inVenice, on the Bridge of Sighs; A palace and a prison on each hand: I saw from out the wave her structures rise As from the stroke of the enchanter's wand: A thousand years their cloudy wings expand Around me, and a dying Glory smiles O'er the far times, when manya subject land Look'd to the winged Lion's marble piles, WhereVenice sate in state, thron'd on her hundred isles!

—Rochdale