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bridge¹

(brĭj)

1. A structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier, such as a river or roadway.

2. Something resembling or analogous to this structure in form or function: a land bridge between the continents; a bridge of understanding between two countries.

a. The upper bony ridge of the human nose.

b. The part of a pair of eyeglasses that rests against this ridge.

4. A fixed or removable replacement for one or several but not all of the natural teeth, usually anchored at each end to a natural tooth.

5. Music

a. A thin, upright piece of wood in some stringed instruments that supports the strings above the soundboard.

b. A transitional passage connecting two subjects or movements.

6. Nautical A crosswise platform or enclosed area above the main deck of a ship from which the ship is controlled.

7. Games

a. A long stick with a notched plate at one end, used to steady the cue in billiards. Also called rest¹.

b. The hand used as a support to steady the cue.

8. Electricity

a. Any of various instruments for measuring or comparing the characteristics, such as impedance or inductance, of a conductor.

b. An electrical shunt.

9. Chemistry An intramolecular connection that spans atoms or groups of atoms.

tr.v. bridged, bridg·ing, bridg·es

1. To build a bridge over.

2. To cross by or as if by a bridge.

[Middle English brigge, from Old English brycg; see bhrū- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

bridgea·ble adj.

(click for a larger image)

bridge1

top: Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

bottom: on a violin

(click for a larger image)

bridge

bridge²

(brĭj)

Any of several card games derived from whist, usually played by four people in two partnerships, in which trump is determined by bidding and the hand opposite the declarer is played as a dummy.

[From earlier biritch (influenced by BRIDGE¹), from Russian birich, a call, from Old Russian birichĭ.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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