Brand new question

June 24, 2008 5:38 PM

What is the etymology of "brand new"? When did it first appear?
posted by Neale to writing & language (4 comments total)

From the OED:
brand-new, a.: Quite new, perfectly new.

Etymology: From BRAND n. + NEW, as if fresh and glowing from the furnace; cf. Shakespeare's fire-new.

Citations:
c1570 FOXE Serm. 2 Cor. v. 63 New bodies, new minds..and all thinges new, brande-newe. 1714 GAY What d'ye call it? II. v. 28 ‘Wear these Breeches Tom; they're quite bran-new.’ 1790 BURNS Tam o' Shanter, Nae cotillon brent new frae France. 1821 CLARE Vill. Minstr. I. 38 When villagers put on their bran-new clothes. 1824 SCOTT St. Ronan's I. 56 (Jam.) Yeomen with the brank new blues and buckskins. 1858 CARLYLE Fredk. Gt. II. VII. iii. 183 The whole Saxon Army..all in beautiful brand-new uniforms. 1871 MORLEY Voltaire (1886) 131 A bran-new vaudeville.

brand, n. (2.): A piece of wood that is or has been burning on the hearth.
posted by matthewr at 6:03 PM on June 24, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Oh *that* kind of brand! Wow, thanks.
posted by zpousman at 6:25 PM on June 24, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Thx matthewr.
posted by Neale at 6:38 PM on June 24, 2008

Oh wow, that is not at all what I expected. Thanks for this question, and the answer!
posted by vytae at 8:19 PM on June 24, 2008