hank
1
8.2
- noun
- /hæŋk/
- Specialized
- The cheap beige carpet was strewn with high-access mess: hanks of graying static rope; a yellow bucket stuffed with tools.
- hank of rope
- hank of hair
Examples
-
Babs coils a hank of dull hair around her fingers; she twists and twists, but the hair won't hold a shape.
Fiction book (2002) -
From his pouch, he took the hank of cord, originally a component of his survival kit, and tied a stone to one end.
Fiction book (1993) -
There was nothing left of the guy, nothing at all, except... ...a rag, a bone, and a hank of hair.
-
An unruly hank of hair stood out behind his baseball cap.
Fiction book (1993) -
Iris shifted in her chair and began twirling a hank of hair.
Fiction book (1998) -
Her hair was pulled off her face and hung down her back in a smooth, water-beaded hank.
Fiction book (1996) -
Dried fish, a rock-hard hank of barley bread, strips of dried reindeer meat.
Fiction book (1993) -
The fisherman carefully coiled the hank of rope before storing it in the boat.
-
She bought a hank of yarn to knit a warm scarf for winter.
-
After cutting the old fabric, he tied the leftover pieces into a hank for easier storage.
Synonyms
1
4.4
A long coil of yarn wound loosely for knitting or crocheting
A small coil of yarn or thread kept for later use
Idioms
Compounds
How Large
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hank comes from an old word for a 'hook' or 'loop', and it became the name for a length of rope, wool, or yarn wound into a loose coil you can hang. So, think of a hank as a looped bundle ready to lift or hang on a hook, which explains the modern meaning.