Braintree, town, Norfolk County, eastern Massachusetts, on the Weymouth Fore River, a residential and industrial suburb of Boston; settled 1634, incorporated 1640. Manufactures include rubber and steel products, electronic equipment, textiles, and beverages. John Hancock and General Sylvanus Thayer were born here. Originally called Monoticut, a Native American term for “abundance,” the community adopted its present name, after Braintree, England, in 1640. Quincy was part of the town until 1792. Population 36,337 (1980); 33,836 (1990); 33,836 (1996 estimate).
