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)

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)

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

• unshanked
  adjective

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

“I don’t think these companies are going to get reckless,” said Gabriele Sorbara, an analyst at financial-services firm Siebert Williams Shank.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The change “may disappoint certain investors who prefer the formulaic return framework,” wrote Siebert Williams Shank analyst Gabriele Sorbara.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

“A real worry is that people might bring expectations from their A.I. relationships to their human relationships,” Shank told Slate.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2025

Castroneves, a four-time Indy 500 champion, was filling in for struggling Tom Blomqvist for Meyer Shank Racing in the hopes of picking up points, only to finish 25th.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2024

And the Yellow Shank finally walked into the full dark.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt