Word of the Day: Embrace

em-brace / əmˈbrās   verb  

1. to hold tightly in an affectionate manner; to hug

Each time we embrace someone warmly, we gain an extra day of life. from ‘Aleph’ by Paulo Coelho, 1947-  

2. to encircle or enclose

You enter the mouth of a valley; the hills reach forth their arms to embrace you, and you consciously enter a new world. from ‘The Alps’ by Martin Conway, 1856-1937  

3. to take up gladly or readily

Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. Lao Tzu, 601 BC-c. 531 BC  

4. to include as a part

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Albert Einstein, 1879-1955  

5. to welcome

Winners embrace hard work. Lou Holtz, 1937-   noun  

1. a hug

The romantic embrace can only be compared with music and with prayer. Havelock Ellis, 1859-1939  

2. grip

I close my eyes and melt in its embrace, basking in the sweetest balm of forgiveness: that for which one need not even ask. from ‘The Book of Rachael’ by Leslie Cannold, 1965-  

3. the acceptance of something

Knowledge is recognition of something absent; it is a salutation, not an embrace. George Santayana, 1863-1952