le brandon

Definition & meaning

Brandon is a masculine French noun, usually meaning a burning or glowing piece of wood, straw, or other material, often used as a makeshift torch.

It can refer to:

1. A flaming splinter or torch-like object

   • Il tenait un brandon à la main. — “He was holding a flaming piece of wood.”

2. A figurative source of conflict, especially in the expression brandon de discorde

   • Cette affaire est devenue un brandon de discorde. — “This matter became a source of discord.”

The plural is brandons.

Grammar & Word origin

• Gender: masculine
• Article: un brandon, le brandon
• Plural: des brandons
• Pronunciation: /bʁɑ̃.dɔ̃/

The word comes from Old French brandon, related to brand, meaning a burning piece of wood or firebrand. The ending -on is a historical noun-forming or diminutive suffix. The word is not normally divided into meaningful parts in modern French.

Synonyms & antonyms

Depending on the meaning, synonyms include:

• tison ↗ — a glowing or burning piece of wood, usually an ember; it is less specifically torch-like than brandon.
• flambeau ↗ — a torch designed to provide light, often more substantial or formal than a brandon.
• torche ↗ — a torch used for illumination; unlike brandon, it is not necessarily just a burning fragment.
• source de discorde ↗ — the figurative meaning of brandon de discorde, rather than a synonym for the literal object.
• querelle ↗ — a quarrel or dispute, which may result from a figurative brandon de discorde.

There is no exact common antonym for brandon. In the literal sense, contrasting terms could be:

• cendre ↗ — ash, the residue after something has burned.
• extinction ↗ — the act or state of going out, as opposed to burning.

Common phrases & collocations

• un brandon de feu ↗ — a firebrand or flaming piece of wood
• un brandon de discorde ↗ — a source or cause of disagreement
• jeter des brandons ↗ — to provoke conflict or stir up discord, usually in a figurative sense