prank
Meanings
- A practical joke or mischievous trick.
- An evil deed; a malicious trick, an act of cruel deception.
- To perform a practical joke on; to trick and make a fool of someone.
- To make a prank call to (someone).
- To call someone's phone and hang up before they answer, so as to send them a notification (of a missed call) without incurring fees.
- To adorn in a showy manner; to dress or equip ostentatiously.
- To make an ostentatious show.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English pranken (“to adorn, arrange one's attire”), probably from Middle Dutch pronken, proncken (“to flaunt, make a show, arrange one's attire”), related to German prangen (“to make a show, be resplendent”), Dutch prangen (“to squeeze, press”), Danish pragt (“pomp, splendor”), all from Proto-Germanic *pranganą, *prangijaną, *prag- (“to press, squeeze, thring”), from Proto-Indo-European *brengʰ- (“to press, squeeze”). Or, perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *brahtaz, similar to Dutch pracht (“splendor”), Swedish prakt (“glory, pomp”) (loaned from Low German). Cognate with Middle Low German prunken (“to flaunt”), German prunken (“to flaunt”), Danish prunke (“to make a show, prank”). Sense of "mischievous act" from earlier verbal sense of "to be crafty or subtle, set in order, adjust". See also prink, prance, prong.