Bridge /(brĭj)/
Bridge
n.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. (Mus.)
- A device to measure the resistance of a wire or other conductor forming part of an electric circuit. (Elec.)
- A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace, for deflecting flame, etc.; -- usually called a bridge wall.
Phrases & Compounds
- Aqueduct bridge
- See Aqueduct.
- Asses' bridge
- See under Ass, Bascule, Bateau.
- Bridge of a steamer
- 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.
- Bridge of the nose
- the upper, bony part of the nose.
- Cantalever bridge
- See under Cantalever.
- Draw bridge
- See Drawbridge.
- Flying bridge
- 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.
- Girder bridge
- a bridge formed by girders, or by trusses resting upon abutments or piers.
- Lattice bridge
- a bridge formed by lattice girders.
- Pontoon bridge
- See under Pontoon.
- Skew bridge
- a bridge built obliquely from bank to bank, as sometimes required in railway engineering.
- Suspension bridge
- See under Suspension.
- Trestle bridge
- a bridge formed of a series of short, simple girders resting on trestles.
- Tubular bridge
- 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.
- Wheatstone's bridge
- 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 Wheatstone.
Bridge
v. t.
imp. & p. p. Bridged; p. pr. & vb. n. Bridging
-
To build a bridge or bridges on or over; as, to bridge a river.
Their simple engineering bridged with felled trees the streams which could not be forded.
-
To open or make a passage, as by a bridge.
Xerxes . . . over Hellespont Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined.
- To find a way of getting over, as a difficulty; -- generally with over.
Bridge
n.
- A card game resembling whist.