Coffee has initially been a food – chewed, not sipped. Early African tribes consume coffee by grinding the berries together, adding some animal fat, and rolling the treats into tiny edible energy balls.
BRANKS
Etymology
Origin uncertain; perhaps related to German Pranger, Dutch prang.
Noun
branks (plural branks)
(historical) A punishment device, especially for scolding women, consisting of a cage to enclose the head, with a metal gag for the mouth; a scold's bridle.
Source: Wiktionary
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
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
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
25 June 2025
DETENTION
(noun) a state of being confined (usually for a short time); “his detention was politically motivated”; “the prisoner is on hold”; “he is in the custody of police”
Coffee Trivia
