[hangk] 
| 1. | a skein, as of thread or yarn. |
| 2. | a definite length of thread or yarn: A hank of cotton yarn measures 840 yards. |
| 3. | a coil, knot, or loop: a hank of hair. |
| 4. | Nautical. a ring, link, or shackle for securing the luff of a staysail or jib to its stay or the luff or head of a gaff sail to the mast or gaff. |
| 5. | Nautical. to fasten (a sail) by means of hanks. |
| hank (hāngk) n.
[Middle English, from Old Norse hönk.] |
hank
in textile manufacture, unit of measure applied to a length of yarn or to a loose assemblage of fibres forming a single strand, and varying according to the fibre origin. A hank of cotton or of the spun silk made from short lengths of waste silk is 840 yards (770 m) long. A hank of linen is 300 yards (270 m). In worsted yarn, made from combed fibre, there are 560 yards (510 m) to a hank.
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