hank

Meaning

Noun

1. A coil or loop of something, especially twine, yarn, or rope.
2. A ring or shackle that secures a staysail to its stay and allows the sail to glide smoothly up and down.
3. Doubt, difficulty.
4. Mess, tangle.
5. A rope or withe for fastening a gate.
6. (obsolete) Hold; influence.
7. 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.

Verb

1. To form into hanks.
2. To fasten with a rope, as a gate.

Synonyms

skein

coil

wind

real

lea

maze

report

entangle

story

strand

twist

whip

wring

form into skeins

hasp

reel on

lay

Pronounced as (IPA)

/hæŋk/

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.