crank

== English == === Pronunciation === (without æ-raising) IPA(key): /ˈkɹæŋk/, [ˈkʰɹʷæŋk] (æ-raising) (US, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈkɹeɪ̯ŋk/, [ˈkʰɹʷeɪ̯ŋk] ~ /ˈkɹɛ̃ŋk/, [ˈkʰɹʷɛ̃ŋk] Rhymes: -æŋk Hyphenation: crank === Etymology 1 === From Dutch or Low German krank, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *krank, from Proto-Germanic *krangaz, *krankaz (“bent; weak”). Cognate with Scots crank, krank, German krank (“sick”). ==== Adjective ==== crank (comparative cranker, superlative crankest) (dialectal) Hard; difficult. (informal) Strange; weird; odd. (dialectal) Bent; twisted; crooked; distorted; out of repair. Sick; unwell. Synonym: infirm (nautical, of a ship) Liable to capsize because of poorly stowed cargo or insufficient ballast. Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated. ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== crank (plural cranks) (now chiefly dialectal) An ailment, ache. (informal) An ill-tempered or nasty person. A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim; A fit of temper or passion. (informal, UK, dated in US) A person who is considered strange or odd by others, and may behave in unconventional ways. Synonyms: kook, odd duck, weirdo, (US) crackpot; see also Thesaurus:strange person (informal) An amateur in science or other technical subjects who persistently advocates flawed theories. (archaic, baseball, slang, 1800s) A baseball fan. (obsolete) A sick person; an invalid. ==== Derived terms ==== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English crank, cronk, from a shortening of Old English crancstæf (“weaving tool, crank”, literally “bent or crooked staff”), the first element ultimately related to Etymology 1 above. ==== Noun ==== crank (plural cranks) A bent piece of an axle or shaft, or an attached arm perpendicular, or nearly so, to the end of a shaft or wheel, used to impart a rotation to a wheel or other mechanical device; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. Clipping of crankshaft. The act of converting power into motion, by turning a crankshaft. (archaic) Any bend, turn, or winding, as of a passage. 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, The Cantos of Mutabilitie Canto 7 So many turning cranks these have, so many crooks. (US, slang) Synonym of methamphetamine. (rare) A twist or turn in speech; word play consisting in a change of the form or meaning of a word. (slang) The penis. Synonyms: cock, dick; see also Thesaurus:penis ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== crank (third-person singular simple present cranks, present participle cranking, simple past and past participle cranked or (dialectal) crunk) (transitive) To turn by means of a crank. (intransitive) To turn a crank. (intransitive, of a crank or similar) To turn. (transitive) To cause to spin via other means, as though turned by a crank. (intransitive) To act in a cranky manner; to behave unreasonably and irritably, especially through complaining. (intransitive) To be running at a high level of output or effort. (intransitive, dated) To run with a winding course; to double; to crook; to wind and turn. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Further reading === crank (mechanism) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === Ranck, ranck == Albanian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /t͡sɾank/ === Noun === crank alternative form of carangth (“creeping thistle”)