Brewer's: Bran-new

or Brand-new. (Anglo-Saxon, brand, a torch.) Fire new. Shakespeare, in Love's Labour Lost, i. 1, says, “A man of fire-new words.” And again in Twelfth Night, iii. 2, “Fire-new from the mint”; and again in King Lear, v. 3, “Fire-new fortune”; and again in Richard III., act i. 3, “Your fire-new stamp of honour is scarce current.” Originally applied to metals and things manufactured in metal which shine. Subsequently applied generally to things quite new.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language