Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Branks

{

Brank

,

Branks

, }
Noun.
[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.

Definition 2024


branks

branks

English

Noun

branks pl (plural only)

  1. (plural only) a punishment device, especially for scolding women, consisting of a cage to enclose the head, with a metal gag for the mouth
    • 1836: Plot, in his History of Staffordshire, describes the branks used at Newcastle-under-Lyme, and at Walsall, in the reign of James II. — The Gentleman's Magazine, July 1836 p.98