FLANK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does flank mean? 

• FLANK (noun)
  The noun FLANK has 4 senses:

1. the side of military or naval formation

2. a subfigure consisting of a side of something

3. a cut from the fleshy part of an animal's side between the ribs and the leg

4. the side between ribs and hipbone

  Familiarity information: FLANK used as a noun is uncommon.

• FLANK (verb)
  The verb FLANK has 1 sense:

1. be located at the sides of something or somebody

  Familiarity information: FLANK used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLANK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The side of military or naval formation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

flank; wing

Context example:

they attacked the enemy's right flank

Hypernyms ("flank" is a kind of...):

formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A subfigure consisting of a side of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Hypernyms ("flank" is a kind of...):

subfigure (a figure that is a part of another figure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flank"):

hypotenuse (the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle)

base (the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the altitude can be constructed)

Derivation:

flank (be located at the sides of something or somebody)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A cut from the fleshy part of an animal's side between the ribs and the leg

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("flank" is a kind of...):

cut of beef (cut of meat from beef cattle)

Meronyms (parts of "flank"):

flank steak (a cut of beef from the flank of the animal)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The side between ribs and hipbone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("flank" is a kind of...):

body part (any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity)

Holonyms ("flank" is a part of...):

quadruped (an animal especially a mammal having four limbs specialized for walking)

• FLANK (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they flank    ... he / she / it flanks   
Past simple: flanked   
Past participle: flanked   
-ing form: flanking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be located at the sides of something or somebody

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "flank" is one way to...):

lie (be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

flank (a subfigure consisting of a side of something)

flanker (a soldier who is a member of a detachment assigned to guard the flanks of a military formation)

flanker (a back stationed wide of the scrimmage line; used as a pass receiver)

 Context examples 

Member of the multiplexin subclass of the collagen superfamily, containing polypeptides with multiple triple-helical domains separated and flanked by non-triple-helical regions.

(Collagen XVIII (Alpha 1), NCI Thesaurus)

Three other haplotypes of this allele exhibit a deletion (g.-2665delTG) and/or a SNP (g.-1188T>C) in the 5'- flanking region upstream of the gene.

(CYP2C9*1 Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This type of domain consists of a twelve residue loop flanked on both side by a twelve residue alpha-helical domain.

(Calcium-Binding Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

In ADAMTS proteins, a closely related family of proteases, the metalloprotease and disintegrin domains are flanked by thrombospondin type I (TSP1) repeat.

(ADAM Type Metalloprotease Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

I nodded my head and proceeded to make a flank attack on the nearest harem.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A short DNA sequence found in prokaryotic and some eukaryotic genomes that encodes proteins involved in DNA transposition and is usually flanked by inverted repeats.

(DNA Insertion Elements, NCI Thesaurus)

It functions as a cytoplasmic signaling protein which contains an SH2 domain flanked by two SH3 domains.

(GRB2-Related Adaptor Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

Whilst the knights had charged them in front the slingers had crept round upon either flank and had gained a footing upon the cliffs and behind the outlying rocks.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Patients are usually asymptomatic and occasionally they may present with hematuria or flank pain.

(Mucinous Tubular and Spindle Cell Carcinoma of the Kidney, NCI Thesaurus)

Patients usually present with flank pain and hematuria.

(Mixed Epithelial Stromal Tumor of the Kidney, NCI Thesaurus)