See D.M. Wilson, _Quincy, Old Braintree and Merry Mount_ (Boston, 1906); C.F. Adams, Jr., _Three Episodes of Massachusetts History_ (Boston, 1892 and 1896); W.S. Pattee, _History of Old Braintree and Quincy_ (Quincy, 1878).
BRAKE, a town of Germany, in the grand duchy of Oldenburg, on the left bank of the Weser, about halfway between Bremen and the mouth of the river. Pop. 5000. It was for centuries the port of Bremen; and though, since the founding of Bremerhaven, it no longer possesses a monopoly of the river traffic as before, it still continues to flourish. Large docks have been constructed, and the place has a considerable import trade in English coal. Shipbuilding and weaving are carried on to some extent.
Brake in Oldenburg must be distinguished from the village of the same name in the principality of Lippe, known as Brake bei Limgo, which gave its name to the cadet line of the counts of Lippe-Brake (1621-1709).
BRAKE. (1) A term for rough-tangled undergrowth, connected, according to the _New English Dictionary_, with "break," to separate. The "brake-fern" (_Pteris aquilina_) is the common "bracken," and is a shortened form of that northern Eng. word, derived from a Scand. word for "fern" (cf. Swed. _bräken_), though often confused with "brake," undergrowth. (2) A term applied to many implements and mechanical and other appliances, often spelled "break." Here there are probably several words, difficult to separate in origin, connected either with "break," to separate, and its derived meanings, or with the Fr. _braquer_ (appearing in such expressions as _braquer un canon_, to turn or point a gun), from O. Fr. _brac_, modern _bras_, an arm, Lat. _bracchium_. The word is thus used of a toothed instrument for separating the fibre of flax and hemp; of the "break-rolls" employed in flour manufacture; of a heavy wheeled vehicle used for "breaking in" horses, and hence of a large carriage of the wagonette type; of an arm or lever, and so of the winch of a crossbow and of a pump handle, cf. "brake-pump"; of a curb or bridle for a horse; and of a mechanical appliance for checking the speed of moving vehicles, &c. It is noteworthy that the two last meanings are also possessed by the Fr. _frein_ and the Ger. _Bremse_.