Nearby Words

franking

[frangk] Origin

frank

1[frangk] adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb
adjective
1.
direct and unreserved in speech; straightforward; sincere: Her criticism of my work was frank but absolutely fair.
2.
without inhibition or subterfuge; direct; undisguised: a frank appeal for financial aid.
3.
Pathology. unmistakable; clinically evident: frank blood.
4.
Archaic. liberal or generous.
5.
Obsolete. free.
noun
6.
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.
7.
the privilege of franking letters, packages, etc.
8.
a franked letter, package, etc.

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Franking is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
verb (used with object)
9.
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

frank·a·ble, adjective
frank·er, noun


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.


1. restrained.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To franking
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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

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