Compare Gaelic brangus, brangas, a sort of pillory, Irish brancas, halter, or Dutch pranger, fetter.
brank (plural branks)
(usually, in the plural) A metal bridle formerly used as a torture device to hold the head of a scold and restrain the tongue
(obsolete, UK, Scotland, dialect, usually, in the plural) A sort of bridle with wooden side pieces.
brank (third-person singular simple present branks, present participle branking, simple past and past participle branked)
To put someone in the branks
(UK, Scotland, dialect) To hold up and toss the head; applied to horses as spurning the bit.
(Scotland) To prance; to caper.
brank (uncountable)
(UK, dialect) buckwheat
• Bankr., bankr.
Source: Wiktionary
Brank, n. Etym: [Prov. of Celtic origin; cf. L. brance, brace, the Gallic name of a particularly white kind of corn.]
Definition: Buckwheat. [Local, Eng.] Halliwell.
Brank, Branks, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. brangus, brangas, a sort of pillory, Ir. brancas halter, or D. pranger fetter.]
1. A sort of bridle with wooden side pieces. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Jamieson.
2. A scolding bridle, an instrument formerly used for correcting scolding women. It was an iron frame surrounding the head and having a triangular piece entering the mouth of the scold.
Brank, v. i.
1. To hold up and toss the head; -- applied to horses as spurning the bit. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
2. To prance; to caper. [Scot.] Jamieson.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
28 March 2025
(noun) a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free. Studies from the National Institute of Health (US) have shown that virtually all decaf coffee types contain caffeine. A 236-ml (8-oz) cup of decaf coffee contains up to 7 mg of caffeine, whereas a regular cup provided 70-140 mg.
