English Explanatory Dictionary

lank

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean.
  2. Meagre, paltry, scant in quantity.
  3. Straight and flat; thin and limp. (Often associated with being greasy.)
  4. Languid; drooping, slack.
verb
  1. To become lank.
noun
  1. A clump of lank hair.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈlæŋk/ [ˈlæŋk] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lank.wav /ˈleɪ̯ŋk/ [ˈleɪ̯ŋk] ~ /ˈlɛ̃ŋk/ [ˈlɛ̃ŋk]

Word forms

lank lanker lankest lanks lanking lanked

Etymology

From Middle English lank, from Old English hlanc, from Proto-West Germanic *hlank, from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“lank, thin”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind, twist”); compare German lenken (“to turn”), Gelenk (“joint”), Old High German hlanca (“hip, side, flank”), and English link (of a chain).

Synonyms

svelte willowy scarce sparse lithe insufficient lax loose nutant

Derived words

lanken lankish lanklet lankly lankness lanksome lanky
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