spank

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

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spæŋk/
• Rhymes: -æŋk

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“beat, strike”).

Verb

spank (third-person singular simple present spanks, present participle spanking, simple past and past participle spanked)

1. (transitive) To beat, smack or slap a person's buttocks or other vulnerable body part like the cheeks, with the bare hand or other object, as punishment, or for sexual gratification.
2. (transitive) To soundly defeat, to trounce.
3. (transitive) To hit very hard.
   • 2018 September 15, Barney Ronay, The Guardian, Finely tuned Liverpool are really getting into Jürgen Klopp’s groove:

     Spurs had a free-kick on the edge of the Liverpool box. Érik Lamela spanked it low into the wall, got the ball back, played it out to Christian Eriksen.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

spank (plural spanks)

1. An instance of spanking, separately or part of a multiple blows-beating; a smack, swat, or slap.
2. A slapping sound, as produced by spanking.
3. (slang, euphemistic) An instance of masturbation.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Likely of Dutch or Low German origin. Compare North Frisian spanke (“to step with pride”), Saterland Frisian spankje (“to splash”), dialectal Dutch spanken (“to limp, hobble”), Dutch spankeren (“to run away quickly, gallop off”), German Low German spenkern (“to burst, explode, shatter, splash, spray”), Danish spanke (“to strut”), Swedish spånka (“to strut proudly”); originally, equivalent to span +‎ -k. Compare also dialectal English spang (“to leap, bound; shoot out, fling”).

Alternative forms

• (dialectal) spaink, spenk

Verb

spank (third-person singular simple present spanks, present participle spanking, simple past and past participle spanked)

1. (intransitive) To move quickly and nimbly on foot; to stride or run at a brisk pace.
2. (intransitive) To move or turn rapidly, as the gears of a machine or the sails of a ship.

3. (transitive, intransitive) To shoot out or throw violently; to hurl or knock out.

Derived terms

• spanking

Noun

spank (plural spanks)

1. (dialectal) A leap or bound.

Related terms

• brand spanking new
• spankingly
• spanking new

Anagrams

• knaps, Panks, panks