tank
/ˈtæŋk/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.57 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a gun designed for direct fire, and moving on caterpillar tracks.
noun
A structure of tightly overlapping leaves used by some bromeliads to retain water.
Example Sentences
- "The propane is stored in these tanks."
- "The tank contains unfiltered water. You really shouldn't drink from that."
- "The other room was a kitchen, with an open fireplace, a safe, a dresser and a tin sink, with a tap from the tank outside."
- "The contractors installed a new tank with gorgeous fish and corals."
- "The ore slurries are directed into an open tank outside the excavation site."
- "The tanks are full and the grass is high."
Etymology
From Portuguese tanque (“tank, liquid container”), from an Indo-Aryan language, likely Gujarati ટાંકી (ṭā̃kī, “cistern”) or Marathi टांकी (ṭāṅkī). A false friend can be found in North Germanic: dunk (“canister, keg”), 17th c. tönk, which appears derived from both Low German tunneke, Dutch tonneke (diminutive of "barrel"), and dunka (“to dunk, to dip under water, to moisten”). * In the sense of armoured vehicle, prototypes were described as tanks for carrying water to disguise their nature and due to physical resemblance. First attested in 1915, but in common usage only as of 1916. Displaced landship, and mostly displaced battlewagon.
Origin
- Source language: Portuguese
- First known use: First attested in 1915, but in common usage only as of 1916
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtæŋk/
- British English: /ˈtæŋk/
Usage
- Indian usage
- Colloquial
- British usage
- Dated
- Slang
- American usage
- Transitive verb
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Military.
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
anti-tank
ballast tank
battle tank
bobbin tank
built like a tank
buoyancy tank
cavalry tank
combat tank