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shank definition

shank (s̸haŋk)

noun

  1. the lower part of the leg; part between the knee and ankle in humans or a part like this in animals
  2. the whole leg
  3. a cut of meat from the leg of an animal
  4. a straight, narrow part between other parts, as
    1. the part of a tool or instrument between the handle and the working part; shaft
    2. the part of a tobacco pipe between the bowl and the stem
    3. the part of an anchor between the crown and the ring
    4. the narrow part of a shoe sole in front of the heel and beneath the instep
  5. a projection or wire loop on some buttons by which they are sewn to fabric
  6. the whole of a piece of type exclusive of the printing surface; body
  7. 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

  1. Golf to hit (the ball) poorly by striking it with the heel of the club
  2. Sports to hit or kick in an unintended direction
shank Idioms

ride on shank's mare

or go on shank's mare
to walk

shank of the evening

  1. Obsolete the latter part of the afternoon
  2. now, the early part of the evening

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical shank definition - medical

shank Synonyms

shank

n.

long shank, foreleg, stem; see leg 1, limb 2.

shank of the evening*

early evening, not late, not time to go, quite early; see early, night 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

shank Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • braise: I couldn't resist the " Seven hours braised lamb shank " which was very good indeed.

Adjective modifier

  • yellow: All three stones are secured by a white gold claw setting on a yellow gold shank.

Modifies a noun

  • nail: Plain tiles should be fixed with either ring shank nails with a thick strong nail head or screwed.

Modifying Another Word

  • long: They are long shanked with a long, barbless point that can be passed through a joker without bursting it.

Noun used with modifier

  • hexagon: A hexagon shank which helps to prevent spinning in the drill chuck or bit extension.

Preposition: of

  • lamb: I started with mussels followed by shank of lamb.
shank usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"shank." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/shank>

APA Style

shank. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/shank

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