shank

American  

[shangk] / ʃæŋk /

noun

1. Anatomy. the part of the lower limb in humans between the knee and the ankle; leg.

2. a corresponding or analogous part in certain animals.

3. the lower limb in humans, including both the leg and the thigh.

4. a cut of meat from the top part of the front foreshank or back hind shank leg of an animal.

5. a narrow part of various devices, as a tool or bolt, connecting the end by which the object is held or moved with the end that acts upon another object.

6. a straight, usually narrow, shaftlike part of various objects connecting two more important or complex parts, as the stem of a pipe.

7. Slang. shiv.

8. a knob, small projection, or end of a device for attaching to another object, as a small knob on the back of a solid button, or the end of a drill for gripping in a shaft.

9. the long, straight part of an anchor connecting the crown and the ring.

10. the straight part of a fishhook away from the bent part or prong.

11. Music. crook.

12. Informal.

    1. the early or main part of a period of time.

       It was just the shank of the evening when the party began.

    2. the latter part of a period of time.

       They didn't get started until the shank of the morning.

13. the narrow part of the sole of a shoe, lying beneath the instep.

14. shankpiece.

15. Printing. the body of a type, between the shoulder and the foot.

16. Golf. a shot veering sharply to the right after being hit with the base of a club shaft.

17. the part of a phonograph stylus or needle on which the diamond or sapphire tip is mounted.

18. Jewelry. the part of a ring that surrounds the finger; hoop.

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verb (used with object)

shanks, present (3rd person singular) shanked, past participle, past shanking present participle

1. Golf. to hit (a golf ball) with the base of the shaft of a club just above the club head, causing the ball to go off sharply to the right.

2. Slang. to cut or stab (someone) with a shank; shiv.

3. Slang. to undermine or discredit (someone) in a sneaky manner, as with innuendo, rumor, accusation, or the like.

verb (used without object)

shanks, present (3rd person singular) shanked, past participle, past shanking present participle

1. Chiefly Scot. to travel on foot.

shank British  

/ ʃæŋk /

noun

1. anatomy the shin

2. the corresponding part of the leg in vertebrates other than man

3. a cut of meat from the top part of an animal's shank

4. the main part of a tool, between the working part and the handle

5. the part of a bolt between the thread and the head

6. the cylindrical part of a bit by which it is held in the drill

7. the ring or stem on the back of some buttons

8. the stem or long narrow part of a key, anchor, hook, spoon handle, nail, pin, etc

9. the band of a ring as distinguished from the setting

10. 1. the part of a shoe connecting the wide part of the sole with the heel

    2. the metal or leather piece used for this

11. printing the body of a piece of type, between the shoulder and the foot

12. engineering a ladle used for molten metal

13. music another word for crook

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verb

1. (intr) (of fruits, roots, etc) to show disease symptoms, esp discoloration

2. (tr) golf to mishit (the ball) with the foot of the shaft rather than the face of the club

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unshanked
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have shanked
  perfect
• has shanked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are shanking
  progressive
• is shanking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• shanks
  singular 3rd person
• am shanking
  progressive 1st person singular
• shanking
  participle
• have been shanking
  perfect progressive
• has been shanking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had shanked
  perfect
• were shanking
  progressive plural
• shanked
  simple
• was shanking
  progressive singular
• shanked
  participle
• had been shanking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shank
  simple
• will have shanked
  perfect
• will be shanking
  progressive
• will have been shanking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shank

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English sc(e)anca; cognate with Low German schanke “leg, thigh”; akin to German Schenkel “thigh,” Schinken “ham (of the leg)”

Explanation

Your shanks are your shins, the lower part of your leg. It hurts like crazy to bang your shank on the edge of a coffee table. Shank comes from a Germanic source related to Schenkel, or "thigh." It's most common to talk about shanks in terms of meat, like lamb shanks or beef shanks, rather than your own shins. The shape of lower leg bones influence other ways shank is used, to refer to objects from drill bits to the narrow piece of a shoe's sole that connects to its heel. For unclear reasons, to shank means to hit a golf or tennis ball badly.

Example Sentences

In its more standardized form across the journalism industry, this kind of ethical nihilism has been a rusty shank to the gut of consumer advocacy journalists the last few years.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2024

A wild drive on the seventh and a shank out of a bunker at the next opened up the tournament.

From BBC • Sep. 2, 2024

The dissection eventually led her to conclude that if you removed both the heel and the hard inner shank of a heeled shoe, it could stand flat on the ground.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2024

His shank was behind some eucalyptus trees that frame the right side of the fairway.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024

One hundred fathoms down a marlin was eating the sardines that covered the point and the shank of the hook where the hand-forged hook projected from the head of the small tuna.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway