Branding is the process in which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living being, with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent. This is performed using a hot or very cold branding iron. It may be used on animals such as farm animals and livestock, or other living beings such as character that may be a prisoner (as a form of punishment) or a slave as a sign of imposing masterly rights over an enslaved or otherwise oppressed person. It may also be practiced as a "rite of passage" such as within a tribe, or to signify membership in an organization such as a college fraternity or sorority.

If branding has yet to happen, use imminent_branding instead.
If it has already happened, or there is only a brand, use branded instead.

Related tags

• branding_iron
• holding_branding_iron
• branded