branks

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/bɹæŋks/

noun

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.

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounbranks (plural branks)
  1. historicalA 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.

    Plot, in his History of Staffordshire, describes the branks used at Newcastle-under-Lyme, and at Walsall, in the reign of James II.

    1836 July, The Gentleman's Magazine, page 98

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
scold's bridle

Origin

Origins: First recorded in Scotland in 1567.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with branks

thanksbanksmanxphalanxtranx10xdown the bankspanks
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

branks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/branks

MLA

“branks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/branks. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “branks,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/branks.

Source: branks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.