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flank

 - 5 dictionary results

flank

  [flangk]
Use flank in a Sentence
–noun
1. the side of an animal or a person between the ribs and hip.
2. the thin piece of flesh constituting this part.
3. a slice of meat from the flank of an animal.
4. the side of anything, as of a building.
5. Military, Navy. the extreme right or left side of an army or fleet, or a subdivision of an army or fleet.
6. Fortification.
a. the right or left side of a work or fortification.
b. the part of a bastion that extends from the curtain to the face and protects the curtain and the opposite face.
7. Machinery. (on a screw thread or the like) either of the two vertical inclined surfaces between the crest and the root.
–verb (used with object)
8. to stand or be placed or posted at the flank or side of.
9. to defend or guard at the flank.
10. Military. to menace or attack the flank of.
11. to pass around or turn the flank of.
–verb (used without object)
12. to occupy a position at the flank or side.
13. to present the flank or side.
Origin:
bef. 1100; ME; late OE flanc < OF < Frankish; cf. OHG hlanca loin

Synonyms:
8. line, edge, skirt, border.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To flank
flank   (flāngk)   
n.  

  1. The section of flesh on the body of a person or an animal between the last rib and the hip; the side.

  2. A cut of meat from the flank of an animal.

  3. A lateral part or side: the flank of a mountain.

    1. The right or left side of a military formation: an attack on both flanks.

    2. The right or left side of a bastion.

tr.v.   flanked, flank·ing, flanks

  1. To protect or guard the flank of.

  2. To menace or attack the flank of.

  3. To be placed or situated at the flank or side of: Two stone lions flanked the entrance.

  4. To put (something) on each side of: flanked the driveway with tall shrubs.


[Middle English, from Old English flanc, from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

flank  (n.)
late O.E. flanc "fleshy part of the side," from O.Fr. flanc, probably from Frank. *hlanca (cf. O.H.G. (h)lanca, M.H.G. lanke "hip joint," Ger. lenken "to bend, turn, lead"), from PIE base *qleng- "to bend." The military sense is first attested 1548, as is the verb.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: flank
Pronunciation: 'fla[ng]k
Function: noun
: the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip; broadly : the side of aquadruped
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

flank (flāngk)
n.

  1. The side of the body between the pelvis or hip and the last rib; the side.

  2. The section of flesh in that area.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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