Brank Definition
brăngk
noun
A device formerly used to punish women judged to be noisy and quarrelsome, consisting of an iron curb for the tongue, held in place by a frame around the head.
Webster's New World
(UK, dialect) Buckwheat.
Wiktionary
verb
To put someone in the branks.
Wiktionary
(UK, Scotland, dialect) To hold up and toss the head; applied to horses as spurning the bit.
Wiktionary
Origin of Brank
-
Possibly from Dutch branken legs (of a compass, scissors, etc.) pl. of branke branch from Late Latin branca paw branch
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
Probably of Celtic origin; compare Latin brance, brace, the Gallic name of a particularly white kind of corn.
From Wiktionary
Compare Gaelic brangus, brangas, a sort of pillory, Irish brancas, halter, or Dutch pranger, fetter.
From Wiktionary
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to brank using the buttons below.