Stanks

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Emits a strong, unpleasant odor; behaves in a distasteful or offensive manner socially; refers to wet, swampy areas prone to bad smells
2. Discharges a foul smell unpleasant to the senses; acts in a repugnant or disagreeable way in interaction; describes damp, marshy ground producing bad odors
3. Gives off a nasty scent that is offensive or noxious; conducts oneself in a disagreeable or contemptible way; characterizes areas with stagnant water that generate strong odors

Etymology: "Stanks" is the third-person singular present form of "stank," and in this case it is the form that "stink" takes when the verb is used with a plural or the form that the verb itself takes in the present tense, as in "he stanks." The word it describes, though, is the verb "stink," which is an Old English word and is not the subject of this entry's main story. The more surprising thread runs through "stank" itself. The past tense of "stink" was once "stank," and the verb's present-tense form "stanks" is a respelling that reflects a sound merger: in many accents "thank" and "think" came to sound alike, and speakers who spelled "stink" as "stanks" were picking up that shift in pronunciation. Another line of history links the noun "stank," meaning a pool or dam, to Old French "estanc," which came from Latin "stagnum," meaning a pool. That noun is the source of the swampy-water sense that appears in the meanings list, and it is related to "stagnant" and "stagnate."

Synonyms: smells, stenches, reeks, odors, malodors

Antonyms: fragrances, aromas, scents, perfumes