English Explanatory Dictionary

brand new

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Utterly new, as new as possible.
  2. Acting in a way unusual for oneself.

Pronunciation

/ˈbɹænd ˌn(j)uː/ /ˈbɹæn.n(j)uː/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Persent101-brand new.wav

Word forms

brand new brand-new bran new bran-new brent new brank new

Etymology

From brand (“firebrand”) + new, implying something that is newly forged (first citation 1570; compare fire-new (“fresh from the fire, brand-new”)). Alternatively, and less likely from brand as in a branding iron (i.e. newly-branded). The first element of the variant bran new, with the post nasal stop deletion common to English (compare the common pronunciation (outside Britain) of hunting as hunning [hʌnɪŋ]), is often back-etymologized as being from bran as if from cases where new items were supposedly “packaged up with unwanted grain (bran) in the 18th century to protect the objects during transit” (source unknown). Both variants are well attested.

Synonyms

new all-new brand new brand spanking new cherry fresh freshly made green hot mint nascent newish new-laid novel pristine red-hot unused verdurous virgin virginal youthful

Related words

brand spanking new spanking new
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