A lever whose two arms form a right angle, or nearly a right angle, having its fulcrum at the apex of the angle. It is used in bell pulls and in changing the direction of bell wires at angles of rooms, etc., and also in machinery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prov. of Celtic origin; cf. L. brance, brace, the Gallic name of a particularly white kind of corn. ] Buckwheat. [ Local, Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To hold up and toss the head; -- applied to horses as spurning the bit. [ Scot. & Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To prance; to caper. [ Scot. ] Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Cf. Gael. brangus, brangas, a sort of pillory, Ir. brancas halter, or D. pranger fetter. ] 1. A sort of bridle with wooden side pieces. [ Scot. & Prov. Eng. ] Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A scolding bridle, an instrument formerly used for correcting scolding women. It was an iron frame surrounding the head and having a triangular piece entering the mouth of the scold. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. branc-ursine, branch-ursine, fr. LL. branca claw + L. ursinus belonging to a bear (fr. ursus bear), i. e., bear's claw, because its leaves resemble the claws of a bear. Cf. Branch. ] (Bot.) Bear's-breech, or Acanthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. cranke; akin to E. cringe, cringle, crinkle, and to crank, a., the root meaning, probably, “to turn, twist.” See Cringe. ] 1. (Mach.) A bent portion of an axle, or shaft, or an arm keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft, by which motion is imparted to or received from it; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. See Bell crank. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any bend, turn, or winding, as of a passage. [ 1913 Webster ]

So many turning cranks these have, so many crooks. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A twist or turn in speech; a conceit consisting in a change of the form or meaning of a word. [ 1913 Webster ]

Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim; crotchet; also, a fit of temper or passion. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Violent of temper; subject to sudden cranks. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A person full of crotchets; one given to fantastic or impracticable projects; one whose judgment is perverted in respect to a particular matter. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A sick person; an invalid. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou art a counterfeit crank, a cheater. Burton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Crank axle (Mach.), a driving axle formed with a crank or cranks, as in some kinds of locomotives. --
Crank pin (Mach.), the cylindrical piece which forms the handle, or to which the connecting rod is attached, at the end of a crank, or between the arms of a double crank. --
Crank shaft, a shaft bent into a crank, or having a crank fastened to it, by which it drives or is driven. --
Crank wheel, a wheel acting as a crank, or having a wrist to which a connecting rod is attached. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ AS. cranc weak; akin to Icel. krangr, D. & G. krank sick, weak (cf. D. krengen to careen). Cf. Crank, n. ] 1. Sick; infirm. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) Liable to careen or be overset, as a ship when she is too narrow, or has not sufficient ballast, or is loaded too high, to carry full sail. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated. [ 1913 Webster ]

He who was, a little before, bedrid, . . . was now crank and lusty. Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

If you strong electioners did not think you were among the elect, you would not be so crank about it. Mrs. Stowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ See Crank, n. ] To run with a winding course; to double; to crook; to wind and turn. [ 1913 Webster ]

See how this river comes me cranking in. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A small European woodpecker (Picus minor). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the housing for a crankshaft and connecting parts in an internal-combustion engine. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Formed with, or having, a bend or crank; as, a cranked axle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Crankness. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A bend or turn; a twist; a crinkle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. Crinkle. ] To break into bends, turns, or angles; to crinkle. [ 1913 Webster ]

Old Veg's stream . . . drew her humid train aslope,
Crankling her banks. J. Philips. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To bend, turn, or wind. [ 1913 Webster ]

Along the crankling path. Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Naut.) Liability to be overset; -- said of a ship or other vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Sprightliness; vigor; health. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Full of spirit; crank. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Addicted to crotchets and whims; unreasonable in opinions; crotchety. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Unsteady; easy to upset; crank. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. Derange. ] 1. To degrade from rank. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To throw out of rank or into confusion. Decker. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. of Drink. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. 3d Drake. ] Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. en- + rank. ] To place in ranks or in order. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The first rank; the front. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. franc. ] A pigsty. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To shut up in a frank or sty; to pen up; hence, to cram; to fatten. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The common heron; -- so called from its note. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Frank, a. ] The privilege of sending letters or other mail matter, free of postage, or without charge; also, the sign, mark, or signature denoting that a letter or other mail matter is to go free of postage. Called also the franking privilege. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

I have said so much, that, if I had not a frank, I must burn my letter and begin again. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. franc. See Frank, a. ] 1. (Ethnol.) A member of one of the German tribes that in the fifth century overran and conquered Gaul, and established the kingdom of France. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A native or inhabitant of Western Europe; a European; -- a term used in the Levant. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A French coin. See Franc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. franker superl. frankest. ] [ F. franc free, frank, L. Francus a Frank, fr. OHG. Franko the name of a Germanic people on the Rhine, who afterward founded the French monarchy; cf. AS. franca javelin, Icel. frakka. Cf. Franc, French, a., Franchise, n. ] 1. Unbounded by restrictions, limitations, etc.; free. [ R. ] “It is of frank gift.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Free in uttering one's real sentiments; not reserved; using no disguise; candid; ingenuous; as, a frank nature, conversation, manner, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Liberal; generous; profuse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Frank of civilities that cost them nothing. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Unrestrained; loose; licentious; -- used in a bad sense. Spenser.

Syn. -- Ingenuous; candid; artless; plain; open; unreserved; undisguised; sincere. See Candid, Ingenuous. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. franked p. pr. & vb. n. franking. ] 1. To send by public conveyance free of expense. Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To extempt from charge for postage, as a letter, package, or packet, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. franc free + Norm. F. almoigne alma, for almosne, F. aumône. See Frank, a., and Almoner. ] (Eng. Law) A tenure by which a religious corporation holds lands given to them and their successors forever, usually on condition of praying for the soul of the donor and his heirs; -- called also tenure by free alms. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Frank free + chase. ] (Eng. Law) The liberty or franchise of having a chase; free chase. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Frank free + fee. ] (Eng. Law) A species of tenure in fee simple, being the opposite of ancient demesne, or copyhold. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

A black pigment used in copperplate printing, prepared by burning vine twigs, the lees of wine, etc. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

A small cooked sausage of beef or beef and pork, usually 5 to 6 inches, sometimes as long as 12 inches in length; called also frankforter, frankfort, frankfurt. It is commonly eaten on a roll, called a hot dog bun.
Syn. -- wiener, hot dog{ 1 }. [ PJC ]

n. [ OF. franc free, pure + encens incense. ] A fragrant, aromatic resin, or gum resin, burned as an incense in religious rites or for medicinal fumigation. The best kinds now come from East Indian trees, of the genus Boswellia; a commoner sort, from the Norway spruce (Abies excelsa) and other coniferous trees. The frankincense of the ancient Jews is still unidentified. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Carp.) A method of forming a joint at the intersection of window-sash bars, by cutting away only enough wood to show a miter. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like, or pertaining to, the Franks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Frank free + law. ] (Eng. Law) The liberty of being sworn in courts, as a juror or witness; one of the ancient privileges of a freeman; free and common law; -- an obsolete expression signifying substantially the same as the American expression civil rights. Abbot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. frankelein; cf. LL. franchilanus. See Frank, a. ] An English freeholder, or substantial householder. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The franklin, a small landholder of those days. Sir J. Stephen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Benjamin Franklin. [ 1913 Webster ]

Franklinic electricity, electricity produced by friction; called also static electricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Min.) A kind of mineral of the spinel group. [ 1913 Webster ]

A kind of open stove introduced by Benjamin Franklin, the peculiar feature of which was that a current of heated air was directly supplied to the room from an air box; -- now applied to other varieties of open stoves. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a frank manner; freely. [ 1913 Webster ]

Very frankly he confessed his treasons. Shak.

Syn. -- Openly; ingenuously; plainly; unreservedly; undisguisedly; sincerely; candidly; artlessly; freely; readily; unhesitatingly; liberally; willingly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Frank free + marriage. ] (Eng. Law) A certain tenure in tail special; an estate of inheritance given to a man his wife (the wife being of the blood of the donor), and descendible to the heirs of their two bodies begotten. [ Obs. ] Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being frank; candor; openess; ingenuousness; fairness; liberality. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Frank free + pledge. ] (O. Eng. Law) (a) A pledge or surety for the good behavior of freemen, -- each freeman who was a member of an ancient decennary, tithing, or friborg, in England, being a pledge for the good conduct of the others, for the preservation of the public peace; a free surety. (b) The tithing itself. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

The servants of the crown were not, as now, bound in frankpledge for each other. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having a rank above that of another.
Syn. -- ranking(prenominal), superior. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. inferior in rank or status.
Syn. -- junior-grade, inferior, lower, lowly, petty(prenominal), secondary, subaltern, subordinate. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To exceed in rank; hence, to take precedence of. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Too rank or luxuriant. [ 1913 Webster ]