Brand

Brand (Ger. brennen, to burn), a mark usually produced by fire. Herring casks are branded, under Government inspection, if the owners desire, to certify the quality of the fish. Each separate consignment in a ship's cargo, if packed in cases. bags, or barrels, has usually its special brand, consisting of letters and geometrical figures variously arranged, to facilitate identification. Horses and cattle are often branded when kept in large herds (a practice customary in Greece, at least, as far back as the 5th century B.C.). Criminals have very frequently been branded, and deserters from the British army were branded with the letter D till 1879. The name is also (especially in America) applied to any trade mark, whether burnt-in or not.