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flank

(flăngk)

1. The section of flesh on the body of a person or an animal between the last rib and the hip; the side.

2. A cut of meat from the flank of an animal.

3. A lateral part or side: the flank of a mountain.

a. The right or left side of a military formation: an attack on both flanks.

b. The right or left side of a bastion.

tr.v. flanked, flank·ing, flanks

1. To protect or guard the flank of.

2. To menace or attack the flank of.

3. To be placed or situated at the flank or side of: Two stone lions flanked the entrance.

4. To put (something) on each side of: flanked the driveway with tall shrubs.

[Middle English, from Old English flanc, from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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