As a noun, a type of product or company with a particular name and identity; as a verb, to mark something in a way that shows ownership or image.
From Old English “brand,” meaning “fire, flame, or burning piece of wood,” and later “mark made by burning.” Burned marks on animals or goods led to the idea of a product’s distinct identity.
Modern “branding” still carries the ghost of hot iron on skin—originally, a brand was a burn that shouted ownership. Today’s logos and slogans are just cleaner, psychological burn marks on your memory.
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