# lank

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈlæŋk/ · frequency rank #98,355

## Definitions
1. Slender or thin; not well filled out; not plump; shrunken; lean.
2. Meagre, paltry, scant in quantity.
3. Straight and flat; thin and limp. (Often associated with being greasy.)
4. Languid; drooping, slack.

## Etymology
From Middle English lank, from Old English hlanc, from Proto-West Germanic *hlank, from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“lank, thin”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind, twist”); compare German lenken (“to turn”), Gelenk (“joint”), Old High German hlanca (“hip, side, flank”), and English link (of a chain).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lank