shank
shank definition
shank (s̸haŋk)
noun
- 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
Etymology: ME shanke < OE scanca, akin to Ger schenkel, thigh < IE base *(s)keng-, to limp > Gr skazein, Ger hinken
intransitive verb
Bot. to decay and fall off a diseased footstalk: said of a flower
transitive verb
- Golf to hit (the ball) poorly by striking it with the heel of the club
- Sports to hit or kick in an unintended direction
shank Idioms
shank of the evening
- Obsolete the latter part of the afternoon
- now, the early part of the evening
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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