Prang

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɹæŋ/

Definitions

1. A minor crash or collision, especially involving vehicles or aircraft ; to hit or collide with an object or another vehicle, often causing damage or disruption
2. A small accident such as a bump or crash between vehicles or planes ; to strike something forcefully, typically resulting in a collision or damage
3. An incident of a slight wreck or impact, usually with minimal harm ; to run into or crash against something, causing physical contact and potential harm

Etymology: Royal Air Force pilots of the Second World War used "prang" as slang for crashing a plane, usually in a minor way: a bent wing or a landing gone wrong rather than a catastrophe. The word is probably imitative, shaped by the sound of a sharp, metallic collision. It was quick, informal, and easy to say over a radio or in a mess hall, and it spread from there into everyday British speech for any slight bump or smash. The word has an unexpected second life in the Khmer language. The "prang" of Angkor Wat in Cambodia is its central tower, a tall stone sanctuary shaped like a rising spire. The Khmer term is "praang," and it was borrowed into English for that architectural sense, so the same sound names both a towering temple and a minor crash. Whether the airmen knew the Khmer word, or simply reached for a sound that fit, the sources do not say, and the two uses appear to have arisen independently.