Another name for a dental part which usually refers to a partial denture that is anchored on each end to real teeth.

1. A structure that connects two points by being built above and across a river, another road, or other obstacle to allow people or vehicles to cross it: They used a bridge to go from one side of the river to the other side.

A bridge is also a natural structure resembling a bridge; especially, an arch-like rock formation which spans a ravine.

2. Something which provides a link, a connection, or a means of coming together: His research serves as a bridge between the past and the present.

They hope to build a bridge between the two cultures with the hope that they will be able to understand each other better.

3. The platform or room on a ship or other vessel from which the captain controls its course; so named because on early steamers it had the form of a span between the paddlewheel boxes: The captain went to the ship's bridge to make sure the navigating procedures were being followed.
4. A set of one or more false teeth that are attached to adjoining teeth: The dental bridge can be permanently anchored to natural teeth as a fixed bridge, or set into a metal appliance and temporarily clipped on to natural teeth as a removable bridge.
5. The top bony part of the nose between the eyes: The bridge of the nose is the area where a pair of eyeglasses that connects the two lenses together is at the front and rests on the nose.
6. A part of a stringed instrument that keeps the strings away from its body: This bridge is high and curved on a violin but shallow and straight on a guitar.
7. A transitional or connecting section in a musical work: A musical bridge is the movement between a verse and the chorus or that which connects one section to the next section.
8. A long-handled support for a player's cue in billiards: The player used his hand as a bridge for the cue during the billiard game.
9. In electrical engineering, a part of an electrical circuit fitted with a device that measures electrical resistance or capacitance: The engineer installed the bridge in order to make sure the entire electrical system was safe.
10. An online telecommunications connection: They had a telecommunications bridge between the two-local area networks.

1. To travel on a structure across an obstacle which allows people or vehicles to get across it: Blaine and Inge are bridging their way to the other side of the river to visit friends.
2. To create a means of communication or understanding between people or a means of reconciling their differences: The local leaders hope to bridge the divisions between the political groups.

Bernhart wrote a book that attempts to bridge the generation gaps.

Primarily in the U.S., money which a bank loans to a person for a short period of time until he or she receives the money that will be provided from another source; such as, from selling a house, a car, etc.: Ernie received a notice from the bank to reassure him that the bridge loan for which he had applied was approved.