plank

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plank^¹

/ˈplæŋk/ UK
[ˈpʰlæŋk] UK
/ˈplaŋk/ British, Southern, Standard
[ˈpʰlaŋk] British, Southern, Standard
/ˈplaŋk/ Northern England, Scotland
[ˈpʰläŋk] Northern England, Scotland
/ˈplæŋk/
[ˈpʰlæːŋk]
[ˈpʰle̞ːŋk]
/ˈplæŋk/ US
[ˈpʰlæŋk] US
/ˈpleɪ̯ŋk/ Canada, US
[ˈpʰleɪ̯ŋk] Canada, US
/ˈplɛ̃ŋk/ Canada, US
[ˈpʰlɛ̃ŋk] Canada, US

Sounds like Planck (UK) · Rhymes with -æŋk

Where it comes from

From Middle English plank, planke, borrowed from Old French planke, Old Northern French planque (compare French planche, from Old French planche), from Vulgar Latin planca, from palanca, from Latin phalanga. The Latin term derives from the Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx), so it is thus a doublet of phalange and phalanx. Compare also the doublets planch, planche, and plancha, borrowed later from Middle French, Modern French, and Spanish, respectively.

noun planks

A flat piece of wood on which to cook fish, so that the wood provides flavor and helps to produce a pleasing texture. A dish called "plank salmon" likely includes a salmon filet cooked on a plank.
An object made of planks; planking.
A solid and substantial portion of an ingredient with a flat side, cooked and served whole. That dish is served with a plank of cauliflower.
Similar: steak
Physical exercise in which one holds a position (usually with a flat back, like a plank) for a measured length of time.
figuratively A political issue that is of concern to a faction or a party of the people and the political position that is taken on that issue. Germanization was a central plank of German conservative thinking in the 19th and 20th centuries.
UK, slang A stupid person, idiot.
Similar: addle-brain, addlehead, addle pate, airhead, baboon, beanbrain, beetlebrain, beetlehead, berk, bimbo, birdbrain, blockhead
That which supports or upholds. His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot.

verb planks · planking · planked

transitive To cover something with planking. to plank a floor or a ship
transitive To bake (fish, etc.) on a piece of cedar lumber. Along the lower river, planked shad dinners (baked and broiled) were highly popular during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
colloquial, transitive To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash. to plank money in a wager
transitive To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.
To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.
intransitive To pose for a photograph while lying rigid, face down, arms at side, in an unusual place. The woman, known as Claudia, fell from a 2m wall after earlier demonstrating the wrong way to plank on a small stool while holding a bottle of wine. A friend said some guests had not heard of planking and Claudia was demonstrating how ridiculous it was.

Plank^²

proper noun Planks

A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: board, plop, plump down, plonk, plunk, flump, plump, plank over, plunk down, beam, bar, ledge, cornerstone, shelf, boardwalk, pillar

Translations

Every language

noun long, broad and thick piece of timber

Español	tablón, madero
한국어	판자 panja
日本語	厚板 atsuita, 板 ita
中文	板 bǎn, 板子 bǎnzi, 木板 mùbǎn
Português	tábua, prancha
Français	planche
Deutsch	Planke
Italiano	tavola, asse
Ελληνικά	σανίδα sanída
Română	scândură
Русский	доска́ doská, пла́нка plánka
العربية	عَارِضَة ʕāriḍa
עברית	קֶרֶשׁ keresh

noun physical exercise

Español	plancha
한국어	플랭크 peullaengkeu
日本語	プランク puranku
中文	平板支撐 /平板支撑 píngbǎn zhīchēng, 棒式
Português	prancha
Français	gainage
Русский	пла́нка plánka

noun political issue

Español	artículo
Português	ponto de contenção
Deutsch	Schwerpunkt
Ελληνικά	μέρος πολιτικού προγράμματος méros politikoú prográmmatos
Русский	пункт програ́ммы punkt prográmmy

verb to cover something with planking

Español	entablar
Português	entabuar, entabular
Ελληνικά	σανιδώνω sanidóno, στρώνω stróno

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Cite this

MLA

"plank." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/plank. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

plank. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/plank

Chicago

"plank." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/plank.

BibTeX

@misc{plank_2026,
  title = {plank},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/plank},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}