crank Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a bad-tempered person
    grouch; churl; grump; crosspatch.
  2. noun a whimsically eccentric person
    screwball; fruitcake; nut case; nut; crackpot.
  3. noun an amphetamine derivative (trade name Methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant
    chicken feed; methamphetamine; trash; shabu; ice; chalk; glass; Methedrine; meth; methamphetamine hydrochloride; deoxyephedrine.
  4. noun a hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel handle
    starter.
  5. verb travel along a zigzag path
    zigzag.
    • The river zigzags through the countryside
  6. verb start by cranking
    crank up.
    • crank up the engine
  7. verb rotate with a crank
    crank up.
  8. verb fasten with a crank
  9. verb bend into the shape of a crank
  10. adjective satellite (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
    tender; cranky; tippy.

WordNet

Crank noun
Etymology
OE. cranke; akin to E. cringe, cringle, crinkle, and to crank, a., the root meaning, probably, "to turn, twist." See Cringe.
Definitions
  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.
  2. Any bend, turn, or winding, as of a passage.
    So many turning cranks these have, so many crooks. Spenser.
  3. A twist or turn in speech; a conceit consisting in a change of the form or meaning of a word.
    Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles. Milton.
  4. A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim; crotchet; also, a fit of temper or passion. Prov. Eng.
    Violent of temper; subject to sudden cranks. Carlyle.
  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.
  6. A sick person; an invalid. Obs.
    Thou art a counterfeit crank, a cheater. Burton.
Crank adjective
Etymology
AS. cranc weak; akin to Icel. krangr, D. & G. krank sick, weak (cf.D. krengen to careen). Cf. Crank, n.
Definitions
  1. Sick; infirm. Prov. Eng.
  2. (Naut.) Liable to careen or be overest, as a ship when she is too narrow, or has not sufficient ballast, or is loaded too high, to carry full sail.
  3. Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated.
    He who was, a little before, bedrid, . . . was now crank and lusty. Udall.
    If you strong electioners did not think you were among the elect, you would not be so crank about it. Mrs. Stowe.
Crank intransitive verb
Etymology
See Crank, n.
Definitions
  1. To run with a winding course; to double; to crook; to wind and turn.
    See how this river comes me cranking in. Shak.

Webster 1913