plank

From Middle English plank, planke, borrowed from Old French planke, Old Northern French planque (compare French planche, from Old French planche), from Vulgar Latin *planca, probably from *palanca (ultimately from Latin phalanga) possibly through the influence of planus. The Latin term derives from the Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx), so it is thus a doublet of phalanx. Compare also the doublet planch, borrowed later from Middle French.

• IPA^(key): /plæŋk/

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• Rhymes: -æŋk
• Homophone: Planck

plank (plural planks)

1. A long, broad and thick piece of timber, as opposed to a board which is less thick.
2. A political issue that is of concern to a faction or a party of the people and the political position that is taken on that issue.

   Germanization was a central plank of German conservative thinking in the 19th and 20th centuries.

3. Physical exercise in which one holds a pushup position for a measured length of time.
4. (Britain, slang) A stupid person, idiot.
5. That which supports or upholds.
   • Southey

     His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot.

• See also Thesaurus:idiot

• plank spanker

• Tok Pisin: plangk

plank (third-person singular simple present planks, present participle planking, simple past and past participle planked)

1. (transitive) To cover something with planking.

   to plank a floor or a ship

   • Dryden

     Planked with pine.

2. (transitive) To bake (fish, etc.) on a piece of cedar lumber.
   • 1998, Richard Gerstell, American Shad in the Susquehanna River Basin (page 147)

     Along the lower river, planked shad dinners (baked and broiled) were highly popular during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

3. (transitive, colloquial) To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash.

   to plank money in a wager

4. (transitive) To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.
5. To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.
6. (intransitive) To pose for a photograph while lying rigid, face down, arms at side, in an unusual place.
   • 2011 May 23, Party finishes up in plonking after attempt at planking in Kingsford, in Herald Sun,

     The woman, known as Claudia, fell from a 2m wall after earlier demonstrating the wrong way to plank on a small stool while holding a bottle of wine. A friend said some guests had not heard of planking and Claudia was demonstrating how ridiculous it was.

   • 2011 May 24, Tourists snapped planking at iconic landmarks around the world, in The Australian,

     Perth man Simon Carville became an internet sensation after he was photographed planking naked in the arms of famous Perth statue the Eliza.

From Old Northern French planke, from Late Latin planca.

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• Rhymes: -ɑŋk

plank f (plural planken, diminutive plankje n)

1. a shelf
2. a (wooden) plank

plank n

1. a high wooden fence which completely prevents any seeing-through

• bullerplank