lank
Americanadjective
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(of plants) unduly long and slender.
lank grass; lank, leafless trees.
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(of hair) straight and limp; without spring or curl.
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lean; gaunt; thin.
adjective
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long and limp
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thin or gaunt
adjective
Other Word Forms
- lankly adverb
- lankness noun
Etymology
Origin of lank
before 1000; Middle English lanc, Old English hlanc; akin to Old High German hlanca loin, side. flank
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He has lank hair to his shoulders and owlish glasses; he looks like he might start shaving in a year or two.
From Washington Post
Her hair is lank, unwashed, and she hides herself in oversized clothes.
From Salon
“He looks convincingly ancient, with lank white hair and stubbly beard, and he performs with the creaky, painful movements of a weary, stiff-jointed old man.”
From New York Times
As toxic algal blooms in the Klamath basin's main lank threaten the also-endangered suckerfish a month earlier than "normal," water is in short supply and dead juvenile chinook salmon are found every day.
From Fox News
Loud cheers reverberated through the arrivals hall at Newcastle International Airport when Nick finally emerged, his hair long and lank, to be embraced by a throng of family and friends.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
