1. A metal cage or scold's bridle formerly used as a punishment device, typically placed over the head.
Usage: archaic; historical

1. To restrain or confine with a brank; to punish by placing a brank on someone.
Usage: archaic; historical

Examples

• The museum displayed a brank as an example of medieval punishment devices.
• In colonial times, a woman accused of gossip might be subjected to the brank.
• Historical records show that branks were used to brank offenders in town squares.
• The brank was considered a humiliating form of public correction.
• Few branks survive today, making them rare artifacts of social control.