From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbranding ironˈbranding ˌiron noun [countable] TZa piece of metal that is heated and used for burning marks on cattle or sheep, to show who they belong to
Examples from the Corpus
branding iron• Doubtless he was quite disappointed when in 1811 the use of the branding iron was discontinued.• My flocks of thought have dispersed and become lost for I have not marked them with the branding iron of the images. 