brad

Meaning

Noun

1. A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an escutcheon pin.
2. A paper fastener, a fastening device formed of thin, soft metal, such as shim brass, with a round head and a flat, split shank, which is spread after insertion in a hole in a stack of pages, in much the same way as a cotter pin or a split rivet.

Verb

1. To attach using a brad.
2. To upset the end of a rod inserted in a hole so as to prevent it from being pulled out, as when riveting.

Synonyms

nail

pin

double-pointed nail

brad nail

pin bolt

set pin

dowel

shoe-peg

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bɹad/

Etymology

Late Middle English brad, variant of brod(d), from Old Norse broddr (“spike, shaft”), from Proto-Germanic *bruzdaz (compare Old English brord, Old High German brort), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusdʰos (compare Welsh brath (“sting, prick”), Albanian bredh (“fir-tree”), Lithuanian bruzdùklis (“bridle”), Czech brzda (“brake”). Doublet of prod.