hank

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a coil, loop, or bundle of yarn, rope, hair, or other long flexible material

   She wound the blue yarn into a hank before washing it.

2. 2
   noun

   nautical: a ring or fitting that attaches a sail to a stay and lets it slide

   The sailor checked each hank before raising the staysail.

From Middle English hank, probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Old Norse hǫnk, 'coil or loop.' The underlying Germanic family is associated with hooks, bends, and hanging.

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