swank
noun
1.
dashing smartness, as in dress or appearance; style.
2.
a swagger.
adjective
3.
stylish or elegant.
4.
pretentiously stylish.
verb (used without object)
5.
to swagger in behavior; show off.
Origin:
1800–10; compare Scots swank lively, perhaps ultimately representing back formation from Old English swancor lithe; akin to Middle Dutch swanc supple, Middle High German swanken to sway
1800–10; compare Scots swank lively, perhaps ultimately representing back formation from Old English swancor lithe; akin to Middle Dutch swanc supple, Middle High German swanken to sway
00:10
Swank
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb
a simple past tense of swink.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To swank
Collins
World English Dictionary
swank (swæŋk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) to show off or swagger |
| —n | |
| 2. | (Brit) Also called: swankpot a swaggering or conceited person |
| 3. | chiefly (US) elegance or style, esp of a showy kind |
| 4. | swagger; ostentation |
| —adj | |
| 5. | another word (esp US) for swanky |
| [C19: perhaps from Middle High German swanken to sway; see | |
| swink (swɪŋk) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) to toil or drudge |
| —n | |
| 2. | toil or drudgery |
| [Old English swinc, from swincan] | |
| 'swinker | |
| —n | |
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
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
swank
1809, "to strut" (swanky, n., "attractive young fellow" is recorded from 1508), perhaps related to M.H.G. swanken "to sway, totter," and O.H.G. swingan "to swing." Said to have been a Midlands and southwestern England dialectal word. The noun meaning "ostentatious behavior" is recorded from 1854; adj.
sense of "stylish, classy, posh" is from 1913. Swanky is attested from 1842.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
swank definition[swæŋk]
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
