hank en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈheɪ̯ŋk/ (Canada, US)
- [ˈhæŋk] without æ-raising
- [ˈheɪ̯ŋk] ~ /ˈhɛ̃ŋk/ (Canada, US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- [ˈhɛ̃ŋk] (Canada, US)
- /ˈhæŋk/ without æ-raising
Etymology
From Middle English hank, of Scandinavian/North Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse hǫnk (compare haki (“something bent”)), related to Proto-Germanic *hakô (“hook”). Akin to Old English hangian (“to hang”). First known use: 14th century.
Meanings
-
A coil or loop of something, especially twine, yarn, or rope.
1681, E.R., The Experienced Farrier, London, p. 307, […] the best thing of all to stop bleeding at the Nose, is to take a Hank of Coventry-blew thread, and hang it cross a stick, and set one end of it on fire […] and let him receive the smoak up his Nostrils […]
Cotton twist is spun here of 130 hanks to the pound. Each hank is 840 yards long […]
1796, Thomas Pennant, “History of Holywell Parish,”, in The History of the Parishes of Whiteford, and Holywell, London: B. and J. White, page 217:He found a hank of clothesline on a counter.
1957, Nevil Shute, chapter 9, in On the Beach, New York: William Morrow:The past year or two had brought knitting-needles into countenance for men, and he saw no reason why he should not put a few hanks of yarn into shape useful for himself.
1919, Henry Blake Fuller, chapter 14, in Bertram Cope’s Year, Chicago: R.F. Seymour, page 131:[…] her hair was as straight as a hank of cotton.
1859, George Eliot, chapter 9, in Adam Bede, volume 1, Edinburgh: William Blackwood, page 181:
- A ring or shackle that secures a staysail to its stay and allows the sail to glide smoothly up and down.
- (Ulster) Doubt, difficulty.
- (Ulster) Mess, tangle.
- A rope or withe for fastening a gate.
-
(obsolete) Hold; influence.
Seldom doth a man fall into a Preſumptuous Sin, but vvhere the Devil hath got ſuch a hanke over him, […]
1636 July (date delivered), Robert Sanderson, “[Ad Aulam.] Sermon IV. Beuvoyr, July 1636”, in XXXIV Sermons. […], 5th edition, London: […] [A. Clark] for A. Seil, and are to be sold by G. Sawbridge, […], published 1671, →OCLC, paragraph 43, page 59:
- A throw in which a wrestler turns his left side to his opponent, twines his left leg about his opponent's right leg from the inside, and throws him backward.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hanks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Translations (12)
fr écheveau (coil or loop) · mi pōkaimiro (coil or loop) · cs přadeno (coil or loop) · fi kieppi (coil or loop) · ru мото́к (coil or loop) · mi kōrino (coil or loop) · bg чиле (coil or loop) · mi pōkai (coil or loop) · fi litsa (nautical: ring or shackle to secure staysail) · bg бухта (nautical: ring or shackle to secure staysail) · fi ratsastaja (nautical: ring or shackle to secure staysail) · fi vyyhti (coil or loop)