lank
[ langk ]
/ læŋk /
adjective, lank·er, lank·est.
(of plants) unduly long and slender: lank grass; lank, leafless trees.
(of hair) straight and limp; without spring or curl.
lean; gaunt; thin.
Nearby words
laniary, lanier, lanier, sidney, laniferous, lanikai, lank, lankester, lankester, sir edwin ray, lankly, lanky, lanner
Origin of lank
before 1000; Middle English lanc, Old English hlanc; akin to Old High German hlanca loin, side. Cf. flank
Related formslank·ly, adverblank·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for lank
British Dictionary definitions for lank (1 of 2)
lank
1/ (læŋk) /
adjective
long and limp
thin or gaunt
Derived Formslankly, adverblankness, noun
Word Origin for lank
Old English hlanc loose
British Dictionary definitions for lank (2 of 2)
lank
2/ (læŋk) /
adjective, adverb
Southern African informal a lot; a great deal
Word Origin for lank
perhaps from Afrikaans lank long
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for lank
lank
Old English hlanc "loose and empty, slender, flaccid," from Proto-Germanic *khlankaz, perhaps from a root meaning "flexible" (cf. German lenken "to bend, turn aside," Old Norse hlykkr "bend, noose, loop"), from PIE root *kleng- "to bend, turn" (see link (n.)). "Some examples may be long adj. with unvoicing of g" ["Middle English Dictionary"]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper