A braid, also called a plait, is a pattern made by weaving together three or more flexible strands, such as yarn, wire, or hair. The most basic type is a flat, solid braid made from three strands. More complicated braids can use many more strands to create different shapes, like a fishtail braid, a five-strand braid, a rope braid, a French braid, or a waterfall braid. These braids are usually long and narrow, with each strand moving forward in a zigzag pattern through the others. Braiding is similar to weaving, which typically uses two groups of threads that cross each other at right angles (called warp and weft).

In the past, people used materials found in their local area, such as plants and animal fibers. During the Industrial Revolution, machines were created to make braiding faster. This technique was used to make ropes from natural and man-made fibers, as well as special cables for radios using copper wire. Recently, braiding has been used to cover fuel pipes in airplanes and ships, first with glass fiber, then with stainless steel and Kevlar. Many household water pipes are also wrapped in stainless steel braids.

Hair braiding

The oldest known example of hair braiding may be about 30,000 years old. This is shown by the Venus of Willendorf, a statue of a woman believed to have been made between 28,000 and 25,000 BC in what is now Austria. Another example is the Venus of Brassempouy, a statue from southwest France that is about 25,000 years old and shows a braided hairstyle.

Although many cultures claim to have created braids first, evidence shows that braiding began in many different places. Like the many versions of the story of Cinderella found in different cultures, braiding also has many origins. One early example of braiding is from around 1279–1213 BCE, as told in the story of Isis: "when some of the queen's maidens came to the well, she greeted them kindly and began to braid their hair."

During the Bronze Age and Iron Age, people in the Near East, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, the East Mediterranean, and North Africa are shown in art with braided or plaited hair and beards. This practice is also found in Europe, Africa, India, China, Japan, Australasia, and Central Asia.

Braiding has traditionally been a social activity. Because braiding takes time, people often used this time to talk and spend time together. Elders began by teaching younger children simple braids and knots. Older children watched, learned, and then practiced on younger children. Over time, they learned the traditional designs. This helped create a connection between older generations and younger ones.

Industrial history and use

Early braids had many uses, such as decoration on costumes, parts of animal clothing (like camel belts), decorations on swords, bowls and hats made from palm leaves, locks used in Japan to keep tea supplies safe with special knots, and weapons like slings.

The materials used in braids depend on what is available locally. For example, people in South America used very fine fibers from alpaca and llama wool, while people in North America used fibers from bison. Around the world, plant fibers like grass, nettle, and hemp have been used to make braids. In China, Korea, and Japan, silk is still the main material used. In the Americas, braiding leather is also common. In rural Australia, people have long used kangaroo leather to make braids. This leather is used to create items like fine belts, hatbands, bridles, dog leads, bullwhips, and stockwhips. Other types of leather are used to make heavier braids for everyday use.

For nomadic people, braiding was a practical way to make useful and decorative textiles. In other places, such as the Pacific islands (where people braid leaves and grasses) and among many hill tribes, braids are made with simple tools. Only later, when braiding became a common activity in homes and schools (as it is in China and Japan) and with the Industrial Revolution, were special tools created to make braiding faster and more complex.

Braids are also used to make rope and decorative objects. Complex braids have been used to create hanging fiber artworks.

Gold and silver braids are parts of formal clothing, including military uniforms (on shoulder decorations, headgear, and other items).

Braiding creates a rope that is thicker and stronger than regular twisted strands. Braided ropes are preferred by arborists, rock climbers, and sailors because they do not twist when pulled. These ropes have layers of braided fibers around a central cord or fiber, and are called Kernmantle ropes.

In electrical and electronic cables, braiding is a metal covering made of twisted metal strands around a central wire. This helps protect the wire from interference. The braiding is connected to the ground, while the central wire carries signals. Braiding can also be used with a foil layer to improve protection and strength. Litz wire uses braids of thin insulated wires to carry high-speed signals with less energy loss. Flat braids made of copper wires are used for flexible connections between large parts. These wires are stronger than larger wires when moved or vibrated.

Braiding is also used in pressurized hoses, like those in car plumbing and brake systems. It is also used in fiber-reinforced composites.

A basic braid has a special property: if one strand is removed, the other strands come apart because they are not twisted together. In math, this type of braid is called a Brunnian braid.

Metaphors

Braids are sometimes used to symbolize the joining together of different parts in a complex way, as in the sentence, "He braided many different ideas into a new whole."

In some rivers and streams, smaller waterways come together and split apart in many places. These types of stream systems are called braided. They are commonly found in alluvial fans at the ends of canyons. This happens because a lot of sediment is deposited during times when water is very high, and then erosion happens again when water levels are low.