swank
1[ swangk ]
/ swæŋk /
noun
dashing smartness, as in dress or appearance; style.
a swagger.
adjective, swank·er, swank·est.
stylish or elegant.
pretentiously stylish.
verb (used without object)
to swagger in behavior; show off.
RELATED WORDS
posh, fashionable, swanky, fancy, elegant, chic, ritzy, genteel, stylish, trendy, mod, upscale, limited, private, licensed, single, total, select, absolute, chosen
Nearby words
- swan-ganz catheter,
- swan-upping,
- swanee,
- swang,
- swanherd,
- swanky,
- swanndri,
- swannery,
- swanscombe man,
- swansdown
Origin of swank
11800–10; compare Scots swank lively, perhaps ultimately representing back formation from Old English swancor lithe; akin to Middle Dutch swanc supple, Middle High German swanken to sway
swank
2[ swangk ]
/ swæŋk /
verb
a simple past tense of swink.
swink
[ swingk ]
/ swɪŋk /
verb (used without object), swank or swonk, swonk·en, swink·ing, noun
labor; toil.
Origin of swink
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
swank
/ (swæŋk) informal /
verb
(intr) to show off or swagger
noun
Also called: swankpot British a swaggering or conceited person
mainly US elegance or style, esp of a showy kind
swagger; ostentation
adjective
another word (esp US) for swanky
Word Origin for swank
C19: perhaps from Middle High German swanken to sway; see swag
swink
/ (swɪŋk) archaic /
verb
(intr) to toil or drudge
noun
toil or drudgery
Word Origin for swink
Old English swinc, from swincan
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
swank
1809, "to strut" (swanky, n., "attractive young fellow" is recorded from 1508), perhaps related to Middle High German swanken "to sway, totter," and Old High German swingan "to swing." Said to have been a Midlands and southwestern England dialectal word. The noun meaning "ostentatious behavior" is recorded from 1854; adjective sense of "stylish, classy, posh" is from 1913.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper