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branks

[ brangks ]
/ bræŋks /
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noun (used with a plural verb)
Sometimes brank . a device consisting of a headpiece with a flat, iron bit to restrain the tongue, formerly used to punish scolds.
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Origin of branks

1585–95; perhaps to be identified with Middle English bernak “bridle, snaffle”; see barnacle2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use branks in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for branks

branks
/ (bræŋks) /

pl n
(formerly) an iron bridle used to restrain scolding women

Word Origin for branks

C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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