embracer
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em·brace
(ĕm-brās′)v. em·braced, em·brac·ing, em·brac·es
v.tr.
1. To clasp or hold close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection.
2. To surround or enclose: "the bold chalk ridge that embraces the prominences of Hambledon Hill" (Thomas Hardy).
3. To include or contain as part of something broader. See Synonyms at include.
4. To adopt or support willingly or eagerly: embrace a social cause.
5. To avail oneself of: "I only regret, in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didn't embrace" (Henry James).
v.intr.
To join in an embrace.
n.
1. An act of holding close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection; a hug.
2. An enclosure or encirclement: caught in the jungle's embrace.
3. Eager acceptance: his embrace of socialism.
[Middle English embracen, from Old French embracer : en-, in; see en-1 + brace, the two arms; see brace.]
em·brace′a·ble adj.
em·brace′ment n.
em·brac′er n.
em·brace·or
or em·brac·er (ĕm-brā′sər)n.
One who commits embracery.
[Middle English imbrasour, from Anglo-Norman embraceor, probably from embracer, to embrace, incite, influence a court by illegal means, from Old French; see embrace.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.