Main Entry:

¹shank

Pronunciation:

\ˈshaŋk\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English shanke, from Old English scanca; akin to Old Norse skakkr crooked, Greek skazein to limp

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: the part of the leg between the knee and the ankle in humans or the corresponding part in various other vertebrates b: leg c: a cut of beef, veal, mutton, or lamb from the upper or the lower part of the leg : shin — see beef illustration2: a straight narrow usu. essential part of an object: as a: the straight part of a nail or pin b: a straight part of a plant : stem, stalk c: the part of an anchor between the ring and the crown — see anchor illustration d: the part of a fishhook between the eye and the bend e: the part of a key between the handle and the bit f: the stem of a tobacco pipe or the part between the stem and the bowl g: tang 1 h (1): the narrow part of the sole of a shoe beneath the instep (2): shankpiece 3: a part of an object by which it can be attached: as a (1): a projection on the back of a solid button (2): a short stem of thread that holds a sewn button away from the cloth b: the end (as of a drill bit) that is gripped in a chuck 4 a: the latter part of a period of time b: the early or main part of a period of time <11 p.m. on the East coast is merely the shank of the evening on the West coast>5slang : an often homemade knife

— shanked \ˈshaŋ(k)t\ adjective