rank
/ˈɹeɪ̯ŋk/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms ranker rankest ranks ranking ranked ranck
- adjective Strong in growth; growing with vigour or rapidity, hence, coarse or gross. “rank grass”
- adjective Causing strong growth; producing luxuriantly; rich and fertile. “rank land”
- adjective Suffering from overgrowth or hypertrophy; plethoric.
- adjective Strong to the senses; offensive; noisome.
- adjective (informal) Gross, disgusting, foul.
- adjective (horse racing) Headstrong; difficult to control.
- adjective Having a very strong, bad taste or odor. “Your gym clothes are rank, bro – when'd you last wash 'em?”
- adjective (intensifier, negative) complete, unmitigated, utter. “rank treason”
- adverb (obsolete) Quickly, eagerly, impetuously.
- noun A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers. “The front rank kneeled to reload while the second rank fired over their heads.”
- noun (chess) One of the eight horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard (i.e., those identified by a number).
- noun (card games) The value of a playing card. “The ranks are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.”
- noun (music) In a pipe organ, a set of pipes of a certain quality for which each pipe corresponds to one key or pedal.
- noun One's position in a list sorted by a shared property such as physical location, population, popularity, or quality. “Based on your test scores, you have a rank of 23.”
- noun The level of one's position in a class-based society.
- noun (typically in the plural) A category of people, such as those who share an occupation or belong to an organisation. “a membership drawn from the ranks of wealthy European businessmen”
- noun A hierarchical level in an organization such as the military. “Private First Class (PFC) is the second-lowest rank in the Marines.”
- verb (transitive) To place abreast or in a line.
- verb (intransitive) To have a ranking. “Their defense ranked third in the league.”
- verb (transitive) To assign a suitable place in a class or order; to classify.
Synonyms
stinky smelly pongy gamy thorough virulent condition place rank and file social station social status social rank membership rate range order grade outrank crying egregious flagrant glaring gross absolute downright out-and-out right-down sheer
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English rank (“strong, proud”), from Old English ranc (“proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent, forward, overbearing, showy, ostentatious, splendid, bold, valiant, noble, brave, strong, full-grown, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rank, from Proto-Germanic *rankaz (“straight”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“straight, direct”). Cognate with Dutch rank (“slender, slim”), Low German rank (“slender, projecting, lank”), Danish rank (“straight, erect, slender”), Swedish rank (“slender, shaky, wonky”), Icelandic rakkur (“straight, slender, bold, valiant”).
The sense referring to taste or odor is possibly influenced by rancor.
From Middle English rank (“line, row”), from Old French ranc, rang, reng (“line, row, rank”) (Modern French rang), from Frankish *hring (“ring”), from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“something bent or curved”). Displaced native Old English hād (“rank, status”).
Akin to Old High German (h)ring, Old Frisian hring, Old English hring, hrincg (“ring”), Old Norse hringr (“ring, circle, queue, sword; ship”). Doublet of ring and rink.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Luxuriant in growth; of vigorous growth; exuberant; grown to immoderate height; as, rank grass; rank weeds.
- adjective Raised to a high degree; violent; extreme; gross; utter; as, rank heresy. "Rank nonsense." Hare. "I do forgive thy rankest fault." Shak.
- adverb Rankly; stoutly; violently. [Obs.]
- noun A row or line; a range; an order; a tier; as, a rank of osiers.
Etymology [AS. ranc strong, proud; cf. D. rank slender, Dan. rank upright, erect, Prov. G. rank slender, Icel. rakkr slender, bold. The meaning seems to have been influenced by L. rancidus, E. rancid.]
Etymology [OE. renk, reng, OF. renc, F. rang, fr. OHG. hring a circle, a circular row, G. ring. See Ring, and cf. Range, n. & v.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rank”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details