A sort of bridle with wooden side pieces. (Scot. & Prov. Eng.)
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.
verb
Brank v. i.
1.
To hold up and toss the head; applied to horses as spurning the bit. (Scot. & Prov. Eng.)
... name for the plant, connected with ake, a sharp point), a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Acanthaceae. The species are natives of the southern parts of Europe and the warmer parts of Asia and Africa. The best-known is Acanthus mollis (brank-ursine, or bears' breech), a common species throughout the Mediterranean region, having large, deeply cut, hairy, shining leaves. Another species, Acanthus spinosus, is so called from its spiny heaves. They are bold, handsome plants, with stately ... — Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia