brake

(noun) a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle.

(noun) any of various ferns of the genus Pteris having pinnately compound leaves and including several popular houseplants.

(noun) large coarse fern often several feet high; essentially weed ferns; cosmopolitan. Synonyms: bracken, pasture brake, Pteridium aquilinum.

(noun) an area thickly overgrown usually with one kind of plant.

(noun) anything that slows or hinders a process. Examples: "She wan not ready to put the brakes on her life with a marriage." "New legislation will put the brakes on spending."

(verb) stop travelling by applying a brake. Example: "We had to brake suddenly when a chicken crossed the road."

(verb) cause to stop by applying the brakes. Example: "Brake the car before you go into a curve."