hank
[hangk]
- a skein, as of thread or yarn.
- a definite length of thread or yarn: A hank of cotton yarn measures 840 yards.
- a coil, knot, or loop: a hank of hair.
- Nautical. a ring, link, or shackle for securing the luff of a staysail or jib to its stay or the luff or head of a gaff sail to the mast or gaff.
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- Nautical. to fasten (a sail) by means of hanks.
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Origin of hank
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
hank
- a loop, coil, or skein, as of rope, wool, or yarn
- nautical a ringlike fitting that can be opened to admit a stay for attaching the luff of a sail
- a unit of measurement of cloth, yarn, etc, such as a length of 840 yards (767 m) of cotton or 560 yards (512 m) of worsted yarn
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- (tr) nautical to attach (a sail) to a stay by hanks
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Word Origin
C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse hanka to coil, Swedish hank string
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for hanking
hank
n.
late 13c., probably from a Scandinavian source, e.g. Old Norse honk, hank "clasp, hank," related to hang (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper