Do you speak a little Dutch when you say 'shank'?

'Shank' is a word borrowed from Dutch 'schenk'. The word entered the English language some time before the 12th century.

shank [noun] [before 12th century]

• the part of the leg between the knee and the ankle in humans or the corresponding part in various other vertebrates
• leg
• a cut of beef, veal, mutton, or lamb from the upper or the lower part of the leg
• shin
• a straight narrow usually essential part of an object
• as

Meaning: the part of the leg between the knee and the ankle in humans or the corresponding part in various other vertebrates; leg; a cut of beef; veal; mutton; or lamb from the upper or the lower part of the leg : shin see beef illustration.

Etymology: Middle English shanke; from Old English scanca; akin to Old Norse skakkr crooked; Greek skazein to limp.

Topics: Medicine:Anatomy, Food:Meat.

Origin: From Dutch to English.

note: Old English sceanca of West Germanic origin. Related to Dutch schenk ‘leg bone’ and German Schenkel ‘thigh’. The use of the verb as a golfing term dates from the 1920s. Related: in the sense of a knife there is Gaelic sceanca (knives).

See 'shank' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from Dutch.

See more loan words from before 1200.