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lanky

US/ˈleɪ̯ŋki/
adjectiveB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,046 of 15,258neutral

Lanky means awkwardly tall and thin. A lanky teenager, lanky limbs, tall and lanky.

The awkwardness is part of it — lanky is tall and thin with the coordination not quite caught up, which is why it suits adolescence. It is affectionate rather than unkind. Note lank, meaning long and limp, which is used of hair and is not a compliment.

Definitions of lanky

  1. 1adjectivelankyAwkwardly tall and thin.B2+

    “The lanky teenager had to bend down to get through the door.”

    synonyms: gangly, rangy

lanky is a quality of build.

Also accepted in games: gangly

Where it comes from

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *kleng- — to bend, turn, wind, twist

  2. Proto-Germanic

    *hlankaz — lank, thin

  3. Proto-West Germanic

    *hlank

  4. Old English

    hlanc

  5. Middle English

    lank

  6. English

    lank

  7. English, today

    lanky

From lank + -y. lank comes from Middle English lank, from Old English hlanc, from Proto-West Germanic hlank, from Proto-Germanic hlankaz (“lank, thin”), from Proto-Indo-European kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind, twist”); compare German lenken (“to turn”), Gelenk (“joint”), Old High German hlanca (“hip, side, flank”), and English link of a chain.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

lanky in the wild

  • Nicknamed De Sliert van de Vliert due to his lanky frame, van Grinsven was the goalkeeper who conceded Marco van Basten's spectacular overhead kick in November 1986.

    Jan van Grinsven

  • Playing lanky villains and comedic characters, Nanayakkara gained popularity in movies like Rekava, Kurulu Bedda, and Sikuru Tharuwa.

    D. R. Nanayakkara

  • The most colourful character was House-Date Harry, a lanky teen who preferred to entertain his dates in their homes and not go out.

    My Date Comics

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the hlanc family

lanky

lanky — used about once every 7,814 pages · #11,046 · point at the bar for the others