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frank

[frangk]

Origin

adjective

direct and unreserved in speech; straightforward; sincere: Her criticism of my work was frank but absolutely fair.

without inhibition or subterfuge; direct; undisguised: a frank appeal for financial aid.

Pathology. unmistakable; clinically evident: frank blood.

Archaic. liberal or generous.

Obsolete. free.

noun

a signature or mark affixed by special privilege to a letter, package, or the like to ensure its transmission free of charge, as by mail.

the privilege of franking letters, packages, etc.

a franked letter, package, etc.

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Frank is one of our favorite verbs.

So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

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verb (used with object)

to mark (a letter, package, etc.) for transmission free of the usual charge, by virtue of official or special privilege; send free of charge, as mail.

10.

to convey (a person) free of charge.

11.

to enable to pass or go freely: to frank a visitor through customs.

12.

to facilitate the comings and goings of (a person), especially in society: A sizable inheritance will frank you faster than anything else.

13.

to secure exemption for.

EXPAND

14.

Carpentry. to assemble (millwork, as sash bars) with a miter joint through the moldings and a butt joint or mortise-and-tenon joint for the rest.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French franc < Late Latin francus free, orig. Frank

Related forms

frank·a·ble, adjective

frank·er, noun

Synonyms
1. unrestrained, free, bold, uninhibited. Frank, candid, open, outspoken imply a freedom and boldness in speaking. Frank is applied to one unreserved in expressing the truth and to one's real opinions and sentiments: a frank analysis of a personal problem. Candid suggests that one is sincere and truthful or impartial and fair in judgment, sometimes unpleasantly so: a candid expression of opinion. Open implies a lack of reserve or of concealment: open antagonism. Outspoken applies to a person who expresses himself or herself freely, even when this is inappropriate: an outspoken and unnecessary show of disapproval.

Antonyms
1. restrained.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun Informal.

frankfurter.

Origin:
1900–05, Americanism; by shortening

noun

a member of a group of ancient Germanic peoples dwelling in the regions of the Rhine, one division of whom, the Salians, conquered Gaul about a.d. 500, founded an extensive kingdom, and gave origin to the name France.

(in the Levant) any native of western Europe.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English Franke, Old English Franca (cognate with Old High German Franko), perhaps from the Germanic base of Old English franka spear, javelin, a weapon allegedly favored by the Franks

noun

Anne, 1929–45, German Jewish girl who died in Belsen concentration camp in Germany: her diaries about her family hiding from Nazis in Amsterdam (1942–44) published in 1947.

Il·ya Mi·khai·lo·vich

[ee-lyah myi-khahy-luh-vyich] , 1908–90, Russian physicist: Nobel prize 1958.

Le·on·hard

[ley-awn-hahrt] , 1882–1961, German novelist.

Robert, born 1924, U.S. photographer and filmmaker, born in Switzerland.

Waldo, 1889–1967, U.S. novelist and social critic.

EXPAND

a male given name, form of Francis or Franklin.

COLLAPSE

Frankish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To frank

Collins

World English Dictionary

frank (fræŋk)

—*adj*
1.	honest and straightforward in speech or attitude: a frank person
2.	outspoken or blunt
3.	open and avowed; undisguised: frank interest
4.	free an obsolete word for generous

—vb
5.	chiefly (Brit) See also postmark to put a mark on (a letter, parcel, etc), either cancelling the postage stamp or in place of a stamp, ensuring free carriage
6.	to mark (a letter, parcel, etc) with an official mark or signature, indicating the right of free delivery
7.	to facilitate or assist (a person) to come and go, pass, or enter easily
8.	to obtain immunity for or exempt (a person)

—n
9.	an official mark or signature affixed to a letter, parcel, etc, ensuring free delivery or delivery without stamps
10.	the privilege, issued to certain people and establishments, entitling them to delivery without postage stamps

[C13: from Old French franc, from Medieval Latin francus free; identical with Frank (in Frankish Gaul only members of this people enjoyed full freedom)]

'frankable

—*adj*

'franker

—n

'frankness

—n

Frank¹ (fræŋk)

—n
	a member of a group of West Germanic peoples who spread from the east bank of the middle Rhine into the Roman Empire in the late 4th century ad, gradually conquering most of Gaul and Germany. The Franks achieved their greatest power under Charlemagne

[Old English Franca; related to Old High German Franko; perhaps from the name of a typical Frankish weapon (compare Old English franca javelin)]

Frank² (Dutch fraŋk)

—n
1.	Anne. 1929--45, German Jewess, whose Diary (1947) recorded the experiences of her family while in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam (1942--44). They were betrayed and she died in a concentration camp
2.	Robert. born 1924, US photographer and film maker, born in Switzerland; best known for his photographic book The Americans (1959)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

frank

c.1300, from O.Fr. franc "free, sincere, genuine," from M.L. Franc "a freeman, a Frank," one of the Germanic people that conquered Celtic Gaul from the Romans c.500 C.E. and called it France, from Frankish *Frank (cf. O.H.G. Franko, O.E. Franca). The connection is that only Franks, as the conquering

EXPAND

class, had the status of freemen. Sense of "outspoken" first recorded in English 1540s. The origin of the ethnic name is uncertain; it traditionally is said to be from the old Germanic word *frankon "javelin, lance" (cf. O.E. franca; also Saxon, traditionally from root of O.E. seax "knife"), their preferred weapon, but the opposite may be the case. In the Levant, this was the name given to anyone of Western nationality (cf. Feringhee). Verbal sense of "to free a letter for carriage or an article for publication" (1708) is from Fr. affranchir, from the same source.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

frank (frānk)
adj. frank·er, frank·est
Clearly manifest; clinically evident.

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary