bank

¹

[ bangk ]

noun

1. a long pile or heap; mass:

   a bank of earth;

   a bank of clouds.

   Synonyms: dike, ridge, mound, embankment

2. a slope or acclivity.
3. Physical Geography. the slope immediately bordering a stream course along which the water normally runs.
4. a broad elevation of the seafloor around which the water is relatively shallow but is not a hazard to surface navigation.
5. Coal Mining. the surface around the mouth of a shaft.
6. Also called cant, superelevation. the inclination of the bed of a banked road or railroad.
7. Aeronautics. the lateral inclination of an aircraft, especially during a turn.
8. Billiards, Pool. the cushion of the table.

verb (used with object)

1. to border with or like a bank; embank:

   banking the river with sandbags at flood stage.

2. to form into a bank or heap (usually followed by up ):

   to bank up the snow.

3. to build (a road or railroad track) with an upward slope from the inner edge to the outer edge at a curve.
4. Aeronautics. to tip or incline (an airplane) laterally.
5. Billiards, Pool.
   1. to drive (a ball) to the cushion.
   2. to pocket (the object ball) by driving it against the bank.
6. to cover (a fire) with ashes or fuel to make it burn long and slowly.

verb (used without object)

1. to build up in or form banks, as clouds or snow.
2. Aeronautics. to tip or incline an airplane laterally.
3. Horology. (of a lever or balance) to be halted at either end of its oscillation by striking a pin or the like.
4. (of a road or railroad track) to slope upward from the inner edge to the outer edge at a curve.

bank

²

[ bangk ]

noun

1. an institution for receiving, lending, exchanging, and safeguarding money and, in some cases, issuing notes and transacting other financial business.
2. the office or quarters of such an institution.
3. Games.
   1. the stock or fund of pieces from which the players draw.
   2. the fund of the manager or the dealer.
4. a special storage place:

   a blood bank; a sperm bank.

5. a store or reserve.
6. Obsolete.
   1. a sum of money, especially as a fund for use in business.
   2. a moneychanger's table, counter, or shop.

verb (used without object)

1. to keep money in or have an account with a bank:

   Do you bank at the Village Savings Bank?

2. to exercise the functions of a bank or banker.
3. Games. to hold the bank.

verb (used with object)

1. to deposit in a bank:

   to bank one's paycheck.

verb phrase

1. to count on; depend on:

   You can bank on him to hand you a reasonable bill for his services.

bank

³

[ bangk ]

noun

1. an arrangement of objects in a line or in tiers:

   a bank of seats; a bank of lights.

2. Music. a row of keys on an organ.
3. a row of elevator cars, as in a hotel or high-rise office building.
4. a bench for rowers in a galley.
5. a row or tier of oars.
6. the group of rowers occupying one bench or rowing one oar.
7. Printing.
   1. (formerly) a bench on which sheets are placed as printed.
   2. alsocalledcomma especially British, random. the sloping work surface at the top of a compositor's workbench.
   3. a table or rack on which type material is stored before being made up in forms.
8. Also called deck. Journalism. a part of a headline containing one or more lines of type, especially a part that appears below the main part.
9. Electricity. a number of similar devices connected to act together:

   a bank of transformers; a bank of resistors.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in a bank:

   to bank the seats; to bank the lights.

bank

¹

/ bæŋk /

noun

1. an institution offering certain financial services, such as the safekeeping of money, conversion of domestic into and from foreign currencies, lending of money at interest, and acceptance of bills of exchange
2. the building used by such an institution
3. a small container used at home for keeping money
4. the funds held by a gaming house or a banker or dealer in some gambling games
5. in various games
   1. the stock, as of money, pieces, tokens, etc, on which players may draw
   2. the player holding this stock
6. any supply, store, or reserve, for future use

   a data bank

   a blood bank

verb

1. tr to deposit (cash, cheques, etc) in a bank
2. intr to transact business with a bank
3. intr to engage in the business of banking
4. intr to hold the bank in some gambling games

bank

²

/ bæŋk /

noun

1. a long raised mass, esp of earth; mound; ridge
2. a slope, as of a hill
3. the sloping side of any hollow in the ground, esp when bordering a river

   the left bank of a river is on a spectator's left looking downstream

4. 1. an elevated section, rising to near the surface, of the bed of a sea, lake, or river
   2. ( in combination )

      mudbank

      sandbank

5. 1. the area around the mouth of the shaft of a mine
   2. the face of a body of ore
6. the lateral inclination of an aircraft about its longitudinal axis during a turn
7. Also calledbankingcambercantsuperelevation a bend on a road or on a railway, athletics, cycling, or other track having the outside built higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force on vehicles, runners, etc, rounding it at speed and in some cases to facilitate drainage
8. the cushion of a billiard table

verb

1. whentr, often foll by up to form into a bank or mound
2. tr to border or enclose (a road, etc) with a bank
3. tr,sometimes foll byup to cover (a fire) with ashes, fresh fuel, etc, so that it will burn slowly
4. to cause (an aircraft) to tip laterally about its longitudinal axis or (of an aircraft) to tip in this way, esp while turning
5. to travel round a bank, esp at high speed
6. tr billiards to drive (a ball) into the cushion

bank

³

/ bæŋk /

noun

1. an arrangement of objects, esp similar objects, in a row or in tiers

   a bank of dials

2. 1. a tier of oars in a galley
   2. a bench for the rowers in a galley
3. a grade of lightweight writing and printing paper used for airmail letters, etc
4. telephony (in automatic switching) an assembly of fixed electrical contacts forming a rigid unit in a selector or similar device

verb

1. tr to arrange in a bank

Word History and Origins

Origin of bank¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English banke, bonke “(natural) ridge,” from Old Norse bakki “elevation, hill,” Swedish backe, Danish bakke, from unattested Germanic bank-ōn-; perhaps akin to Sanskrit bhañj- “bend,” Lithuanian bangà “a wave”; bank ³, bench

Origin of bank²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French banque, from Italian banca “table, counter, moneychanger's table,” from Old High German bank bench

Origin of bank³

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English bank(e), from Old French banc “bench,” from Germanic; bank ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bank¹

C15: probably from Italian banca bench, moneychanger's table, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German banc bench

Origin of bank²

C12: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Icelandic bakki hill, Old Danish banke , Swedish backe

Origin of bank³

C17: from Old French banc bench, of Germanic origin; see bank ¹

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with bank , also see break the bank ; laugh all the way to the bank .

Synonym Study

See shore ¹.

Example Sentences

One that they cannot cash in at the bank to pay for their flats.

From The Daily Beast

A tugboat improbably sits high on the bank, obscured by tall grass, a broken oil rig hangs over the water nearby.

From The Daily Beast

But just up the steep river bank and through the brush is an opening.

From The Daily Beast

He was surprised that the central bank did not understand that.

From The Daily Beast

At this point in his life, Denton has enough filthy lucre in his bank account to affect a certain lack of interest in the stuff.

From The Daily Beast

In sorting notes it is necessary to be able readily to distinguish between notes of this bank and notes of other reserve banks.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus far Boston banks have received more benefits from this bank than have the other banks in this district.

From Project Gutenberg

The weed growing over every water, and at the bank of the river, shall be pulled up before all grass.

From Project Gutenberg

The dormant accounts most of the banks maintain with the reserve bank are, perhaps, indicative of their attitude toward it.

From Project Gutenberg

At the reserve bank they may borrow as a standing right and not as a favor which may be cut off.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fund
• stock
• store
• treasury