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gangplank

[ gang-plangk ]
/ ˈgæŋˌplæŋk /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gangplank ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a flat plank or small, movable, bridgelike structure for use by persons boarding or leaving a ship at a pier.

RELATED WORDS

overpass, link, platform, corridor, passageway, walkway, catwalk, span, extension, scaffold, viaduct, pontoon, trestle, connection, branch, tie, transit, arch, wing, bond

Nearby words

  1. ganglioplegic,
  2. ganglioside,
  3. gangliosidosis,
  4. gangly,
  5. gangnail,
  6. gangpunch,
  7. gangrel,
  8. gangrene,
  9. gangrenous,
  10. gangrenous stomatitis

Origin of gangplank

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; gang1 + plank
Also called brow, gangway.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gangplank

British Dictionary definitions for gangplank

gangplank

gangway

/ (ˈɡæŋˌplæŋk) /

noun

nautical a portable bridge for boarding and leaving a vessel at dockside
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gangplank

gangplank

n.

1846, American English, from gang + plank. Replacing earlier gang-board.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper