Flank

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /flæŋk/

Definitions

1. A side section of a living being, notably situated between the ribs and the waist, the outer edge in a battle arrangement where troops are positioned to either protect or attack, and to situate something alongside another for strategic support or enhancement
2. The side area of a creature between ribs and hips ; a location at the edge of a group, often for defense or offense ; the act of placing something alongside another for assistance or effect
3. The lateral part of a body, especially near the waist ; an extreme point in a battle line where forces are arranged ; to move or arrange something on either side of another object

Etymology: The side of an animal or person between the ribs and the hip is called a flank, and the word's oldest sense was about bending rather than bodies. Its ancestor, the Proto-Germanic "hlankaz," meant "flexible" or "bendsome," and it sits within a family of words for curving, drooping and slenderness. English "lank," meaning thin and limp, and the Old English "hlanc," meaning loose or slender, are close relatives, and the German verb "lenken," meaning to steer or guide, shares the same ancient root meaning "to bend." The body sense developed in Germanic languages, where the "hlanku" form meant the curve of the hip or loin, the part of the body that bends when you move. The Franks carried a form of this word into Gaul, and Old French adopted it as "flanc," probably in the sense of the soft, curving side of an animal. English took the word over from French in Late Old English, and it was already being used for the side of the body by the time of Late Middle English.

Synonyms: side, border, edge, wing, aspect

Antonyms: center, middle