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lanker

 - 3 dictionary results

lank

  [langk]
Use lanker in a Sentence
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. (of plants) unduly long and slender: lank grass; lank, leafless trees.
2. (of hair) straight and limp; without spring or curl.
3. lean; gaunt; thin.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME lanc, OE hlanc; akin to OHG hlanca loin, side. Cf. flank

Related forms:
lankly, adverb
lankness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lanker
lank   (lāngk)   
adj.   lank·er, lank·est

  1. Long and lean. See Synonyms at lean2.

  2. Long, straight, and limp: lank and floppy hair.


[Middle English, from Old English hlanc.]
lank'ly adv., lank'ness n.
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

lank 
O.E. hlanc "loose and empty, slender, flaccid," from P.Gmc. *khlankaz, perhaps from a root meaning "flexible" (cf. Ger. lenken "to bend, turn aside"). Lanky was originally (1637) "straight and flat," used of hair; sense of "awkwardly tall and thin" is first recorded 1818.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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