Yes, brace is a Scrabble word!

Verb

1. Prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult

2. Support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace

3. Support by bracing

4. Cause to be alert and energetic

Noun

1. A support that steadies or strengthens something else

2. Two items of the same kind

3. A set of two similar things considered as a unit

4. Either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material

5. A rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it

6. Elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)

7. An appliance that corrects dental irregularities

8. A carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring

9. A structural member used to stiffen a framework