branding iron

noun

1. a long-handled metal rod with a stamp at one end, used for branding livestock, especially cattle, with a registered or recognized symbol or character to indicate ownership.

Word History and Origins

Origin of branding iron¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

He presented a world where men take a branding iron to the chest to show loyalty to the Yellowstone ranch and each other.

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“It felt like someone had repeatedly struck the back of my neck with a hot branding iron,” he wrote in his memoir.

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As city librarian, he insisted that all Angelenos be allowed to use its collection and discouraged book theft by using a branding iron to burn “LA PUB LIBRARY” into books’ edges.

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But this week the president offered a statement that stood out, even among many that have put Trump’s branding iron on the office.

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They are holding me so that I cannot squirm, shoving into my face a hot branding iron.

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