brand new

adj
/ˈbɹænd ˌn(j)uː/

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.

  1. inherited from *néwos
  2. inherited from *niwjaz — “new
  3. inherited from *niwi
  4. inherited from nēowe
  5. inherited from neowe
  6. compounded as brand new — “brand + new

Definitions

  1. Utterly new, as new as possible.

    • New bodies, new minds ... and all thinges new, brande-newe
    • two pair of bran-new plumpers
    • It's a rough trip no matter how you come, for these washboard roads will loosen up even brandnew cars pretty fast; and hitchhikers always find the going bad.
  2. Acting in a way unusual for oneself.

    • Man, quit actin' brand new, bruh. You only being this way 'cause there's a girl.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for brand new. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA