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Spank

//spæŋk// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An instance of spanking, separately or part of a multiple blows-beating; a smack, swat, or slap.

    "Three men were about a foot behind my left shoulder trading off spanks on each others butts."

  2. 2
    A leap or bound. dialectal
  3. 3
    a slap with the flat of the hand wordnet
  4. 4
    A slapping sound, as produced by spanking.
  5. 5
    An instance of masturbation. euphemistic, slang

    "spank bank"

Verb
  1. 1
    To beat, smack or slap a person's buttocks, with the bare hand or other object, as punishment, or for sexual gratification. transitive
  2. 2
    To move quickly and nimbly on foot; to stride or run at a brisk pace. intransitive
  3. 3
    give a spanking to; subject to a spanking wordnet
  4. 4
    To soundly defeat, to trounce. transitive
  5. 5
    To move or turn rapidly, as the gears of a machine or the sails of a ship. intransitive

    "The ship was really spanking along."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To hit very hard. transitive

    "Spurs had a free-kick on the edge of the Liverpool box. Érik Lamela spanked it low into the wall, got the ball back, played it out to Christian Eriksen."

  2. 7
    To shoot out or throw violently; to hurl or knock out. ambitransitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“to batter, strike”).

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“to batter, strike”).

Etymology 3

Uncertain. Likely of Dutch or Low German origin. Compare North Frisian spanke (“to step with pride”), Saterland Frisian spankje (“to splash”), dialectal Dutch spanken (“to limp, hobble”), Dutch spankeren (“to run away quickly, gallop off”), German Low German spenkern (“to burst, explode, shatter, splash, spray”), Danish spanke (“to strut”), Swedish spånka (“to strut proudly”); originally, equivalent to span + -k. Compare also dialectal English spang (“to leap, bound; shoot out, fling”).

Etymology 4

Uncertain. Likely of Dutch or Low German origin. Compare North Frisian spanke (“to step with pride”), Saterland Frisian spankje (“to splash”), dialectal Dutch spanken (“to limp, hobble”), Dutch spankeren (“to run away quickly, gallop off”), German Low German spenkern (“to burst, explode, shatter, splash, spray”), Danish spanke (“to strut”), Swedish spånka (“to strut proudly”); originally, equivalent to span + -k. Compare also dialectal English spang (“to leap, bound; shoot out, fling”).

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