- The shank is the part of the leg between the knee and ankle or the equivalent in animals.
An example of a shank is a leg of lamb.
- Shank is defined as to decay and fall off, or to poorly hit a golf ball by hitting it with the club heel, or to hit or kick a soccer ball in an unintended direction.
- An example of shank is for a fruit to rot and fall off the tree.
- An example of shank is to kick a soccer ball into the net of one's own team.
- the lower part of the leg; part between the knee and ankle in humans or a part like this in animals
- the whole leg
- a cut of meat from the leg of an animal
- a straight, narrow part between other parts, as
- the part of a tool or instrument between the handle and the working part; shaft
- the part of a tobacco pipe between the bowl and the stem
- the part of an anchor between the crown and the ring
- the narrow part of a shoe sole in front of the heel and beneath the instep
- a projection or wire loop on some buttons by which they are sewn to fabric
- the whole of a piece of type exclusive of the printing surface; body
- Bot. footstalk
Origin of shankMiddle English shanke ; from Old English scanca, akin to German schenkel, thigh ; from Indo-European base an unverified form (s)keng-, to limp from source Classical Greek skazein, German hinken
- Golf to hit (the ball) poorly by striking it with the heel of the club
- Sports to hit or kick in an unintended direction
ride on shank's mareor go on shank's mare
shank of the evening
- Obsolete the latter part of the afternoon
- now, the early part of the evening
- a. The part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.b. A corresponding part in other vertebrates.
- a. The whole leg of a human.b. A leg or leglike part.
- A cut of meat from the leg of a steer, calf, sheep, or lamb.
- The long narrow part of a nail or pin.
- A stem, stalk, or similar part.
- Nautical The stem of an anchor.
- The long shaft of a fishhook.
- The part of a tobacco pipe between the bowl and stem.
- The shaft of a key.
- The narrow section of the handle of a spoon.
- Printing The section of a body of type between the shoulder and the foot.
- a. The narrow part of the sole of a shoe under the instep.b. A piece of material, such as metal, that is used to reinforce or shape this part of a shoe.
- A projection, such as a ring, on the back of a button by which it is sewn to cloth.
- a. See tang1.b. The part of a tool, such as a drill, that connects the functioning head to the handle.
- a. The latter or remaining part, especially of a period of time.b. The early or primary part of a period of time: the shank of the evening.
transitive verbshanked, shank·ing, shanks Sports
Origin of shankMiddle English shanke, from Old English sceanca.
(comparative shanker, superlative shankest)
- (slang) Bad.
- The part of the leg between the knee and the ankle.
- Meat from that part of an animal.
- A straight, narrow part of an object, such as a key or an anchor; shaft; stem.
- The handle of a pair of shears, connecting the ride to the neck.
- The center part of a fishhook between the eye and the hook, the 'hook' being the curved part that bends toward the point.
- A protruding part of an object, by which it is or can be attached.
- The metal part on a curb bit that falls below the mouthpiece of the bit, which length controls the severity of the leverage action of the bit, and to which the reins of the bridle are attached.
- (sports) A poorly played golf shot in which the ball is struck by the part of the club head that connects to the shaft. See thin,fat,toe.
- (slang) An improvised stabbing weapon.
- Any of several species of Old World wading bird in the genus Tringa that are primarily distinguished by their brightly colored legs.
- A loop forming an eye to a button.
- (architecture) The space between two channels of the Doric triglyph.
- (metalworking) A large ladle for molten metal, fitted with long bars for handling it.
- (printing, dated) The body of a type.
- (shoemaking) The part of the sole beneath the instep connecting the broader front part with the heel.
- Flat-nosed pliers, used by opticians for nipping off the edges of pieces of glass to make them round.
(third-person singular simple present shanks, present participle shanking, simple past and past participle shanked)
- (archaic, Ulster) to travel on foot
- (slang) to stab, especially with an improvised blade
- (slang) to remove another's pants, especially in jest; to depants
- (chiefly golf, soccer) to hit or kick the ball in an unintended direction
- (intransitive) To fall off, as a leaf, flower, or capsule, on account of disease affecting the supporting footstalk; usually followed by off.
Middle English shanke, from Old English sceanca, from Proto-Germanic *skankÃ´ (compare West Frisian skonk, Low German Schanke, Dutch/German Schenkel 'shank, leg', Norwegian skank), from *skankaz (compare Old Norse skakkr 'wry, crooked'), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keng (compare Middle Irish scingim 'I spring', Ancient Greek skÃ¡zein 'to limp').