BREAD, a mass of dough, kneaded and baked in an oven. See BAKING.

Bread ought to be well kneaded, and seasoned with a little salt, otherwise it is accounted very unwholesome.

We find bread sometimes made of rye, oats, barley, or vetch-flour; but of all others, that prepared from wheat affords the most wholesome nourishment. In several parts of Asia, Africa, and America, they make bread of maize-flour; besides which, the Americans make bread of the cassava root. See CASSAVA.

Some are of opinion, that corn growing in gravelly and light lands, makes better bread than that which grows in deep and low grounds.

French-Bread. To make good French bread, for every two quarts of flour, add six spoonfuls of ale yeast; also milk and water, warmed; a bit of butter, and a little salt; make them pretty light, and letting them rise before the fire, bake them in a quick oven.

Some put the yolks of six eggs, and the whites of two, to this quantity; but others think the bread better without them.

Foreign bread, or biscuit, pays duty on importation 1s. 7½d. for every 112lb. whereof 1s. 5½d. is repaid on exporting it again.

Bread-room, in a ship, that destined to hold the bread, or biscuit.

The boards of the bread-room should be well joined and caulked, and even lined with tin plates, or mats. It is also proper to warm it well with charcoal, for several days before the biscuit is put into it; since nothing is more injures to the bread than moisture.

Bread, in scripture style, is taken for every sort of food. The ancient Hebrews had several ways of baking bread, as baking it under the ashes, between two fires made of cow-dung, and in an oven. The Jews had, besides their leavened and unleavened bread, their shew-bread, bread of affliction, &c. See the articles LEAVENED, &c.

Breadth, in geometry, one of the three dimensions of bodies, which multiplied into their length constitutes a surface.

Break, in a general sense, signifies to divide a thing into several parts with violence.

In the art of war, to break ground, is to open the trenches before a place.

Among sportsmen, to break a horse in trotting, is to make him light upon the hand in trotting, in order to make him fit for a gallop. To break a horse for hunting, is to supple him, to make him take the habit of running.

Breaking, in a mercantile style, denotes the not paying one's bills of exchange, accepted, or other promissory notes, when due; and absconding, to avoid the severity of one's creditors. In which sense, breaking is the same with becoming bankrupt. See Bankrupt.

Breaking bulk, in the sea language, is the same with unloading part of the cargo.

Bream, in ichthyology, the English name of the cyprinus brama. See Cyprinus.

Breast, in anatomy, denotes the fore-parts of the thorax. See Anatomy, p. 227.

Breasts, or mammae, in anatomy. See Anatomy, p. 227.

Breast-plate, in antiquity, a piece of armour worn to defend the breast, originally believed to be made of hides, or hemp twisted into small cords, but afterwards made of brafs, iron, or other metals, which were sometimes so exquisitely hardened, as to be proof against the greatest force.

Breast-plate, in the menage, the strap of leather that runs from one side of the saddle to the other, over the horse's breast, in order to keep the saddle tight, and hinder it from sliding backwards.

Breast-plough, one so fashioned that a man may shove it before him.

Breast-work the same with parapet. See Parapet.

Breath, the air inspired and expelled again in the action of respiration.

Breath, or wind, in the menage, sometimes signifies the easy respiration of a horse, and sometimes it implies the ease and rest or repose of a horse; as, give your horse breath, that is, do not ride him down; give that leaping horse a long breathing-time between the turns or repetitions of his menage, &c.

Breathing, the same with respiration.

Brechin, a borough-town of the county of Angus in Scotland, about 15 miles north-east of Dundee; W. long. 2° 20', north lat. 56° 40'.

Brecon, or Brecknock, a borough-town of Brecknockshire, in Wales; W. long. 3° 25', N. lat. 52°.

Breda, the capital of Dutch Brabant, about 30 miles north-east of Antwerp; E. long. 4° 40', N. lat. 51° 40'. It is a strong fortified town.

Breeches, a kind of close garment or covering for the thighs, hips, &c., worn by the modern Europeans.

The breeches are peculiar to the male sex, and answer, in some measure, to the femoralia of the Romans.

Breach of a great gun, or cannon, the end next the touch-hole.

Breechings, in the sea-language, the ropes with which the great guns are lashed, or fastened to the ship's side.

They are thus called, because made to pass round the breach of the gun.

Breeding, in a general sense, the producing, nourishing, and educating all manner of young animals.

Breeding of horses. See Equus.

Breeze, a shifting wind, that blows from sea or land for some certain hours in the day or night; common in Africa and some parts of the E. and W. Indies.

The sea breeze is only sensible near the coasts; it commonly rises in the morning, about nine, proceeding slowly in a fine small black curl on the water, towards the shore; it increases gradually till twelve, and dies about five. Upon its ceasing, the land-breeze commences, which increases till twelve at night, and is succeeded in the morning by the sea-breeze again.

Breeze, in brick-making, small ashes and cinders, sometimes made use of instead of coals, for the burning of bricks: But as this does not so well answer the end, the use of it is prohibited by 12 George I. cap. xxxv.