Tranks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Informal term referring to tranquilizers used to calm or sedate individuals or animals ; a colloquial abbreviation for trousers, typically referring to shorts or swimwear ; used as a slang expression for calming substances or casual leg coverings
2. A casual name for drugs that induce relaxation or reduce anxiety ; an informal short form for pants, especially those worn casually or during sports ; slang for sedative medications as well as certain types of clothing items
3. Refers to substances administered to promote tranquility and reduce agitation ; denotes casual lower-body garments, often short and worn in active contexts ; used in slang to indicate either calming drugs or casual shorts and swim trunks

Etymology: "Tranks" is the plural of "trank", a word first attested in the 1860s whose origin is unclear. The one proposed source is the French "tranche", meaning a slice or cut, which might point to the idea of a cut-down garment, though this link is uncertain. The word has been used for trousers, especially shorts or swimwear, and as slang for sedatives. The sedative sense is the later and more striking shift. A word that began as a name for a cut-off item of clothing came to refer to a calming drug, so the two meanings are connected only by the word's shape and sound, not by any clear chain of use.

Synonyms: tranquilizers, sedatives, calmatives, anxiolytics, downers

Antonyms: stimulants, uppers, energizers, excitants, intoxicants