Origin uncertain; perhaps related to German Pranger, Dutch prang.
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, 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
7 March 2025
(noun) chafing between two skin surfaces that are in contact (as in the armpit or under the breasts or between the thighs)
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
