shank

[ shangk ]

/ ʃæŋk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: shank / shanked / shanking on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a corresponding or analogous part in certain animals.

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

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

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.

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

Slang. shiv (def. 2).

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.

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

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

Music. crook¹ (def. 8).

Informal.

the early or main part of a period of time: It was just the shank of the evening when the party began.
the latter part of a period of time: They didn't get started until the shank of the morning.

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

shankpiece.

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

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

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

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

verb (used with object)

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.

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

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

verb (used without object)

Chiefly Scot. to travel on foot.Compare shanks' mare.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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)”

OTHER WORDS FROM shank

un·shanked, adjective

Words nearby shank

Shango, Shangqiu, Shangri-la, Shang Ti, Shanhaiguan, shank, Shankar, Shankara, Shankaracharya, Shankly, shankpiece

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for shank

If she got caught with a shank, they would up her custody level.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Seager writes about being threatened by a patient with a shank carved out of an eyeglass stem.
Inside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane|Caitlin Dickson|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is one of the only times I can think of when life imitates art to the very bleeding edge of an aluminum shank.
Reading Prison Novels In Prison|Daniel Genis|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You see, the victim can slip up behind you on any given day and stick a shank in your ribs—or pay someone else to do it.
How Will Chelsea Manning Be Treated in Prison?|Mansfield Frazier|August 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Everyone complains that Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray shank shots but stubbornly stick to the same strategy.
How to Play a Tennis Monster|Sujay Kumar|September 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Its only the shank of the evening, officer, rejoined the old man, as he fumbled with the latch key and finally opened the door.
The Fifth String |John Philip Sousa
The invalid sat on the shank of a mushroom anchor, and smoked his pipe while he affected to superintend the work.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
The Cad bait, with a little hackle round the top of the shank of the hook, kills well.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
Who dat er woicin' dat hebbenly pocklermashun outen dar in de shank o' de night?
The Broken Sword|Dennison Worthington
A stout shank was gripped by the split wood, and strongly bound in its socket with a thong of hide.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for shank

shank

/ (ʃæŋk) /

noun

anatomy the shin

the corresponding part of the leg in vertebrates other than man

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

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

the part of a bolt between the thread and the head

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

the ring or stem on the back of some buttons

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

the band of a ring as distinguished from the setting

the part of a shoe connecting the wide part of the sole with the heel
the metal or leather piece used for this

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

engineering a ladle used for molten metal

music another word for crook (def. 6)

verb

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

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

Word Origin for shank

Old English scanca; related to Old Frisian schanke, Middle Low German schenke, Danish, Swedish skank leg

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

Medical definitions for shank

shank

[ shăngk ]

n.

The part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

shank