bank

bank

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of bank in English

English Online Dictionary. What means bank‎? What does bank mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • banck, bancke, banke (obsolete)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bæŋk/
    • (/æ/ raising) IPA(key): [beɪŋk]
  • Rhymes: -æŋk

Etymology 1

    From Middle English banke, from Middle French banque, from Italian banca (“counter, moneychanger's bench or table”), from Lombardic bank (“bench, counter”), from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz (“bench, counter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“to turn, curve, bend, bow”). Doublet of bench, banc, and banco.

    Noun

    bank (countable and uncountable, plural banks)

    2. (countable) An institution where one can place and borrow money and take care of financial affairs.
    3. (countable) A branch office of such an institution.
      Synonym: (archaic) Lombard house
    4. (countable) An underwriter or controller of a card game.
      Synonyms: banker, banque
    5. (countable) A fund from deposits or contributions, to be used in transacting business; a joint stock or capital.
    6. (gambling, countable) The sum of money etc. which the dealer or banker has as a fund from which to draw stakes and pay losses.
    7. (slang, uncountable) Money; profit.
    8. (countable) In certain games, such as dominos, a fund of pieces from which the players are allowed to draw.
    9. (countable, chiefly in combination) A safe and guaranteed place of storage for and retrieval of important items or goods.
    10. (countable) A device used to store coins or currency.
    11. (countable) a natural elevation of mud and other material under sea, rising for instance from a continental shelf
    12. (countable) a mound or mass of cloud or fog
    13. (uncountable) A group or collection of telephones.
    Derived terms
    Related terms
    Descendants

    Some may be via other European languages.

    Translations

    Verb

    bank (third-person singular simple present banks, present participle banking, simple past and past participle banked)

    1. (intransitive) To deal with a bank or financial institution, or for an institution to provide financial services to a client.
    2. (transitive) To put into a bank.
    3. (transitive, slang) To conceal in the rectum for use in prison.
    4. (transitive, finance) To provide banking services to.
      • For quotations using this term, see Citations:bank.
    Derived terms
    • bankable
    • banked
    • banker
    • banking
    • bank on
    • debank
    • double-banked
    Translations

    Etymology 2

      From Middle English bank, from Old English hōbanca (“couch”) and Old English banc (“bank, hillock, embankment”), from Proto-Germanic *bankô. Akin to Old Norse bakki (“elevation, hill”), Norwegian bakke (“slope, hill”).

      Noun

      bank (plural banks)

      2. (hydrology) An edge of river, lake, or other watercourse.
      4. (nautical, hydrology) An elevation under the sea; a shallow area of shifting sand, gravel, mud, and so forth
        Synonym: bar
      5. (geography) A slope of earth, sand, etc.; an embankment.
      6. (aviation) The incline of an aircraft, especially during a turn.
      7. (rail transport) An incline, a hill.
      8. A mass noun for a quantity of clouds.
      9. (mining) The face of the coal at which miners are working.
      10. (mining) A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above water level.
      11. (mining) The ground at the top of a shaft.
      Derived terms
      Related terms
      • bench
      Translations

      Verb

      bank (third-person singular simple present banks, present participle banking, simple past and past participle banked)

      1. (intransitive, aviation) To roll or incline laterally in order to turn.
      3. (transitive) To cause (an aircraft) to bank.
      4. (transitive) To form into a bank or heap, to bank up.
      5. (transitive) To cover the embers of a fire with ashes in order to retain heat.
      6. (transitive) To raise a mound or dike about; to enclose, defend, or fortify with a bank; to embank.
      7. (transitive, obsolete) To pass by the banks of.
      8. (rail transport, UK) To provide additional power for a train ascending a bank (incline) by attaching another locomotive.
      Derived terms
      • bank-and-turn indicator, turn-and-bank indicator
      Translations

      Etymology 3

      From Middle English bank (“bank”), banke, from Old French banc (“bench”), from Frankish *bank. Akin to Old English benc (“bench”).

      Noun

      bank (plural banks)

      1. A row or panel of items stored or grouped together.
      2. A row of keys on a musical keyboard or the equivalent on a typewriter keyboard.
      3. (computing) A contiguous block of memory that is of fixed, hardware-dependent size, but often larger than a page and partitioning the memory such that two distinct banks do not overlap.
      4. (pinball) A set of multiple adjacent drop targets.
      Synonyms
      • (row or panel of items): (row) line, rank, tier; (panel) block, grid, panel
      Derived terms
      • double-bank
      • filter bank, filterbank
      • optical bank
      • phone bank
      Translations

      Verb

      bank (third-person singular simple present banks, present participle banking, simple past and past participle banked)

      1. (transitive, order and arrangement) To arrange or order in a row.

      Etymology 4

      Probably from French banc. Of Germanic origin, and akin to English bench.

      Noun

      bank (plural banks)

      1. A bench, as for rowers in a galley; also, a tier of oars.
      2. A bench or seat for judges in court.
      3. The regular term of a court of law, or the full court sitting to hear arguments upon questions of law, as distinguished from a sitting at nisi prius, or a court held for jury trials. See banc
      4. (archaic, printing) A kind of table used by printers.
      5. (music) A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an organ.
      Derived terms
      • Bank Royal
      • Common Bank
      Related terms
      • banc
      • banquette
      • frank bank

      References

      • “bank”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

      Anagrams

      • Knab, knab, nabk

      Afrikaans

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /baŋk/

      Etymology 1

      From Dutch bank, from Middle Dutch banc, from Old Dutch *bank, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz.

      Noun

      bank (plural banke, diminutive bankie)

      1. bench, couch
      Derived terms
      • onder stoele of banke wegsteek
      • toonbank

      Etymology 2

      From Dutch bank, from Middle Dutch banc, from Italian banco, from Old High German bank, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz.

      Noun

      bank (plural banke, diminutive bankie)

      1. bank (financial institution)
      2. (games, gambling) bank, a player who controls a deposit in some card games or board games and in gambling

      Verb

      bank (present bank, present participle bankende, past participle gebank)

      1. (transitive) to deposit, to bank
      2. (intransitive) to bank

      Azerbaijani

      Etymology

      Borrowed from Russian банк (bank). Internationalism ultimately from French banque.

      Pronunciation

      Noun

      bank (definite accusative bankı, plural banklar)

      1. bank (financial institution)

      Declension

      Further reading

      • “bank” in Obastan.com.

      Breton

      Etymology

      Ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *banki.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈbãŋk/

      Noun

      bank m (plural bankeier or bankoù)

      1. bench
      2. bank
        Synonyms: arc'hanti, ti-bank

      Derived terms

      • bank-ilinek
      • bank-tosel
      • gourvezvank
      • kartenn-vank
      • ti-bank

      Crimean Tatar

      Etymology

      Borrowed from French banque.

      Noun

      bank (accusative [please provide], plural [please provide])

      1. bank (financial institution)

      Declension

      Danish

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈbɑŋˀɡ/

      Etymology 1

      Borrowed from French banque, from Italian banco (“bench”).

      Noun

      bank c (singular definite banken, plural indefinite banker)

      1. bank (financial institution, branch office, controller of a game, a safe and guaranteed place of storage)
      Declension
      Derived terms
      • bankanvisning
      • bankier
      • bankør
      Descendants
      • → Faroese: banki
      • → Greenlandic: banki
      • → Icelandic: banki

      Etymology 2

      From German Bank (“bench”).

      Noun

      bank c

      1. only used in certain expressions
      Derived terms
      • over en bank

      Noun

      bank n (singular definite banket, plural indefinite bank)

      1. knock (an abrupt rapping sound)
      2. (pl) a beating
      Declension
      Synonyms
      • (beating): tæsk, tæv

      Verb

      bank

      1. imperative of banke

      References

      • “bank” in Den Danske Ordbog

      Dutch

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /bɑŋk/
      • Hyphenation: bank
      • Rhymes: -ɑŋk

      Etymology 1

      From Middle Dutch banc, from Old Dutch *bank, from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz.

      Noun

      bank f (plural banken, diminutive bankje n)

      1. bench
        Ik zit graag op die bank in het park. ― I like sitting on that bench in the park.
        Zet die bloemen op het bankje naast de deur. ― Put those flowers on the little bench next to the door.
        De oude mannen zaten op de banken en praatten. ― The old men sat on the benches and talked.
      2. (Netherlands) couch, sofa
        Synonym: sofa
        We hebben een nieuwe bank gekocht voor de woonkamer. ― We bought a new couch for the living room.
        Het bankje is perfect voor de kinderkamer. ― The little sofa is perfect for the kids' room.
        De banken in die winkel zijn erg comfortabel. ― The couches in that store are very comfortable.
      3. place where seashells are found
      4. shallow part of the sea near the coast
      Derived terms
      Descendants
      • Afrikaans: bank
      • Javindo: bang
      • Negerhollands: bank, banki
      • → Lokono: bañka
      • → Papiamentu: banki
      • → Sranan Tongo: bangi
        • → Aukan: bangi
        • → Caribbean Hindustani: bángi
        • → Caribbean Javanese: bangi
        • → Kari'na: bangi
        • → Saramaccan: bángi

      Etymology 2

      From Middle Dutch banc, from Italian banco, from Old High German bank, from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz, related to Etymology 1 above.

      Noun

      bank f (plural banken, diminutive bankje n)

      1. a bank (financial institution)
        Ik moet naar de bank om wat geld op te nemen. ― I need to go to the bank to withdraw some money.
        Het bankje in het dorp is elke zondag gesloten. ― The small bank in the village is closed every Sunday.
        De banken zijn gesloten op nationale feestdagen. ― The banks are closed on national holidays.
      2. (games, gambling) the bank, a player who controls a deposit in some card games or board games and in gambling
      3. a banknote, especially 100 Dutch guilders (also in the diminutives bankie or bankje.)
      4. a bank, collection and/or repository
      Derived terms
      Descendants
      • Afrikaans: bank
      • → Aukan: banku
      • → Caribbean Hindustani: bánk
      • → Malay: bank
        • Indonesian: bank
        • → Central Dusun: bank
        • → Central Melanau: bank
        • → Makasar: bank
        • → Javanese: bang
        • → Sundanese: bank
      • → Papiamentu: banki (dated)
      • → Saramaccan: bánku
      • → Sranan Tongo: bangi
        • → Trió: banku
      • → West Frisian: bank

      Hungarian

      Etymology

      From German Bank, from Italian banca.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): [ˈbɒŋk]
      • Rhymes: -ɒŋk

      Noun

      bank (plural bankok)

      1. bank (financial institution)
        Synonym: pénzintézet
      2. (gambling) bank (the sum of money etc. which the dealer or banker has as a fund from which to draw stakes and pay losses)

      Declension

      Derived terms

      References

      Further reading

      • bank in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
      • bank in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

      Icelandic

      Etymology

      Back-formation from banka (“to knock, to beat”).

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /pauŋ̊k/
      • Rhymes: -auŋ̊k

      Noun

      bank n (genitive singular banks, no plural)

      1. knock, blow

      Declension

      Indonesian

      Etymology

      Unadapted borrowing from Dutch bank (“bank”). Doublet of bangku.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): [baŋ]
      • Hyphenation: bank
      • Homophone: bang

      Noun

      bank

      1. bank:
        1. (banking, finance) an institution where one can place and borrow money and take care of financial affairs.
        2. a safe and guaranteed place of storage for and retrieval of important items or goods.

      Derived terms

      • perbankan

      Compounds

      Further reading

      • “bank” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
      • Bunbunan E. J. Hutampea, Soemarso S. R., Jan Hoesada, Indriani Eko Yulianto, Meity Taqdir Qodratillah, T. B. Gultom (1993) Kamus Keuangan [Dictionary of Finance] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, →ISBN, page 5: “bank”

      Malay

      Etymology

      Unadapted borrowing from English bank, spelled earlier as beng and بيڠک. Doublet of bangku.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /bɛŋk/, /baŋk/
      • Rhymes: -ɛŋk, -aŋk
      • Hyphenation: bank

      Noun

      bank (Jawi spelling بڠک, plural bank-bank, informal 1st possessive bankku, 2nd possessive bankmu, 3rd possessive banknya)

      1. A bank:
        1. An institution that offers various financial services.
        2. A stock or reserve of something for use when it is needed.
          bank darah ― blood bank

      Affixations

      Compounds

      References

      Further reading

      • “bank” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

      Maltese

      Etymology

      Borrowed from Italian banco.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /bank/

      Noun

      bank m (plural banek)

      1. bank (financial building or institution)
        Synonym: mislef
      2. bank (an underwater area of higher elevation, a sandbank)

      Noun

      bank m (plural bankijiet, diminutive bnajjak or banketta)

      1. bench
      2. counter (table or board on which business is transacted)
      3. worktable
      4. judge's seat

      Related terms

      Middle English

      Etymology

      From Old English hōbanca (“couch”) and Old English banc (“bank, hillock, embankment”), from Proto-Germanic *bankô. Akin to Old Norse bakki (“elevation, hill”), Norwegian bakke (“slope, hill”).

      Noun

      bank (plural banks)

      1. the bank of a river or lake

      Descendants

      • English: bank

      References

      • “bank(e, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

      Norwegian Bokmål

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /bɑŋk/

      Etymology 1

      Borrowed from French banque, from Italian banco (“bench”), banca.

      Noun

      bank m (definite singular banken, indefinite plural banker, definite plural bankene)

      1. a bank (financial institution)
      Derived terms

      Etymology 2

      From the verb banke.

      Noun

      bank m (definite singular banken, indefinite plural banker, definite plural bankene)

      1. a beat, knock, throb
      Derived terms
      • hjertebank

      Etymology 3

      Verb

      bank

      1. imperative of banke

      References

      • “bank” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
      • “bank_4” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
      • “bank_5” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

      Norwegian Nynorsk

      Etymology

      Borrowed from French banque, from Italian banco (“bench”), banca.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /bɑŋk/

      Noun

      bank m (definite singular banken, indefinite plural bankar, definite plural bankane)

      1. a bank (financial institution)

      Derived terms

      References

      • “bank” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

      Old High German

      Alternative forms

      • panch

      Etymology

        From Proto-West Germanic *banki.

        Noun

        bank f

        1. bench

        Descendants

        • Middle High German: banc, bank
          • Bavarian: Bånk
          • German: Bank
            • → Danish: bank
            • → Norwegian Bokmål: bank
          • Luxembourgish: Bänk
          • Pennsylvania German: Bank
        • → Old French: banc
          • French: banc (see there for further descendants)
          • Norman: banc
          • → Middle English: bank, banke
            • English: bank (see there for further descendants)
          • → Galician: banco
          • → Spanish: banco (see there for further descendants)
        • → Old Italian: banco, banca
          • Italian: banco, banca (see there for further descendants)
            • ⇒ Italian: banchetto (see there for further descendants)
          • → Byzantine Greek: πάγκος (pánkos)
            • Greek: πάγκος (págkos)
          • → Middle French: banque (see there for further descendants)
          • → German: Bank (see there for further descendants)
        • → Medieval Latin: bancus, banca

        Polish

        Etymology

        Internationalism; compare English bank, French banque, German Bank, ultimately from Lombardic bank.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /ˈbaŋk/
        • Rhymes: -aŋk
        • Syllabification: bank

        Noun

        bank m inan

        1. bank (financial building, institution, or staff)
          bank centralny ― central bank
          bank emisyjny ― issuing bank
          bank hipoteczny ― mortgage bank
          bank inwestycyjny ― investment bank
          bank komercyjny ― commercial bank
        2. bank (a safe and guaranteed place of storage for and retrieval of important items or goods)
          bank danych ― databank
          bank genów ― gene bank
          bank czasu ― time bank
          bank energii/powerbank ― powerbank
          bank spermy ― sperm bank
        3. (gambling, card games) bank (a fund of pieces from which the players are allowed to draw)
          trzymać bank ― to keep bank

        Declension

        Derived terms

        References

        Further reading

        • bank in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
        • bank in Polish dictionaries at PWN

        Slovene

        Noun

        bánk

        1. inflection of bánka:
          1. genitive dual
          2. genitive plural

        Swedish

        Etymology

        From Dutch bank, German Bank or Low German bank, all from Italian banco, from Old High German banc, from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /ˈbaŋːk/

        Noun

        bank c

        1. a bank (financial institution, branch of such an institution)
        2. a bank (place of storage)
        3. a bank (of a river of lake)
        4. a sandbank

        Declension

        Derived terms

        Descendants

        • → Elfdalian: baunka
        • → Finnish: pankki

        References

        • bank in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

        Turkish

        Etymology

        Borrowed from French banc.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /ˈbaŋk/
        • Hyphenation: bank

        Noun

        bank (definite accusative bankı, plural banklar)

        1. bench (long seat)

        Declension

        Turkmen

        Noun

        bank (definite accusative banky, plural banklar)

        1. bank

        Declension

        Derived terms

        Volapük

        Noun

        bank (nominative plural banks)

        1. bank (financial institution)

        Declension

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        Related Words

        banks

        bankruptcy

        banking

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