shank

[shangk]
noun
1.
Anatomy. the part of the lower limb in humans between the knee and the ankle; leg.
2.
a corresponding or analogous part in certain animals. See diag. under horse.
3.
the lower limb in humans, including both the leg and the thigh.
4.
a cut of meat from the top part of the front (foreshank) or back (hind shank) leg of an animal. See diag. under beef.
5.
a narrow part of various devices, as a tool or bolt, connecting the end by which the object is held or moved with the end that acts upon another object.
6.
a straight, usually narrow, shaftlike part of various objects connecting two more important or complex parts, as the stem of a pipe.
7.
a knob, small projection, or end of a device for attaching to another object, as a small knob on the back of a solid button, or the end of a drill for gripping in a shaft.
8.
the long, straight part of an anchor connecting the crown and the ring. See diag. under anchor.
9.
the straight part of a fishhook away from the bent part or prong. See illus. under fishhook.
10.
Music. crook1 ( def 8 ).
11.
Informal.
a.
the early part of a period of time: It was just the shank of the evening when the party began.
b.
the latter part of a period of time: They didn't get started until the shank of the morning.
12.
the narrow part of the sole of a shoe, lying beneath the instep.
13.
shankpiece.
14.
Printing. the body of a type, between the shoulder and the foot. See diag. under type.
15.
Golf. a shot veering sharply to the right after being hit with the base of a club shaft.
16.
the part of a phonograph stylus or needle on which the diamond or sapphire tip is mounted.
17.
Jewelry. the part of a ring that surrounds the finger; hoop.
verb (used with object)
18.
Golf. to hit (a golf ball) with the base of the shaft of a club just above the club head, causing the ball to go off sharply to the right.
00:10
Shank is always a great word to know.
So is palate. Does it mean:
originating outside the anatomical limits of certain muscles or nerves
the roof of the mouth, consisting of a hard palate and a soft palate that separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
19.
Chiefly Scot. to travel on foot. Compare shanks' mare.
Idioms
20.
shank of the evening, the main or best part of the evening: Don't leave yet—it's just the shank of the evening.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English sc(e)anca; cognate with Low German schanke leg, thigh; akin to German Schenkel thigh, Schinken ham

Related forms
un·shanked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
shank (ʃæŋk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  anatomy the shin
2.  the corresponding part of the leg in vertebrates other than man
3.  a cut of meat from the top part of an animal's shank
4.  the main part of a tool, between the working part and the handle
5.  the part of a bolt between the thread and the head
6.  the cylindrical part of a bit by which it is held in the drill
7.  the ring or stem on the back of some buttons
8.  the stem or long narrow part of a key, anchor, hook, spoon handle, nail, pin, etc
9.  the band of a ring as distinguished from the setting
10.  a.  the part of a shoe connecting the wide part of the sole with the heel
 b.  the metal or leather piece used for this
11.  printing the body of a piece of type, between the shoulder and the foot
12.  engineering a ladle used for molten metal
13.  music another word for crook
 
—vb
14.  (intr) (of fruits, roots, etc) to show disease symptoms, esp discoloration
15.  (tr) golf to mishit (the ball) with the foot of the shaft rather than the face of the club
 
[Old English scanca; related to Old Frisian schanke, Middle Low German schenke, Danish, Swedish skank leg]

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

shank
O.E. sceanca "leg, shank, shinbone," from P.Gmc. *skankon- (cf. M.L.G. schenke, Ger. schenkel "shank, leg"), perhaps lit. "that which bends," from PIE base *skeng- "crooked" (cf. O.N. skakkr "wry, distorted," Gk. skazein "to limp"). Specifically, the part of the leg from the knee to the ankle. Shank's
mare "one's own legs as a means of transportation" is attested from 1774. The verb, originally in golf, meaning "to strike (the ball) with the heel of the club" is recorded from 1927.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

shank (shāngk)
n.
The part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.

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

shank definition


  1. n.
    a knife; a homemade knife. (Possibly named for a bone handle.) : The mugger pulled a shank on the victim.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
It tilts sideways on the harbor bed, attached by its stemlike shank to a chain, and then to a buoy at the surface of the water.
If a solid veal rump roast is going to break the budget, consider braising a whole veal shank.
It is attached with two galvanized steel shackles to an eye at the tip of the anchor shank.
IT is no news that we're in a phase where beef cheeks, oxtail and even beef shank are bringing top dollar in fancy restaurants.
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