I. ˈbaŋk noun
Etymology: Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse bakki bank; akin to Old English benc bench — more at bench
Date: 13th century
1. : a mound, pile, or ridge raised above the surrounding level: as
a. : a piled-up mass of cloud or fog
b. : an undersea elevation rising especially from the continental shelf
2. : the rising ground bordering a lake, river, or sea or forming the edge of a cut or hollow
3.
a. : a steep slope (as of a hill)
b. : the lateral inward tilt of a surface along a curve or of a vehicle (as an airplane) when turning
4. : a protective or cushioning rim or piece
II. verb
Date: 1590
transitive verb
1.
a. : to raise a bank about
b. : to cover (as a fire) with fresh fuel and adjust the draft of air so as to keep in an inactive state
c. : to build (a curve) with the roadbed or track inclined laterally upward from the inside edge
2. : to heap or pile in a bank
3.
a. : to drive (a ball in billiards) into a cushion
b. : to bounce (a ball or shot) off a surface (as a backboard) into or toward a goal
bank in a rebound
4. : to form or group in a tier
intransitive verb
1. : to rise in or form a bank — often used with up
clouds would bank up about midday, and showers fall — William Beebe
2.
a. : to incline an airplane laterally
b.
(1) : to incline laterally
(2) : to follow a curve or incline
skiers bank ing around the turn
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French banque, from Old Italian banca, literally, bench, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English benc
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : an establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue of money, for the extension of credit, and for facilitating the transmission of funds
b. obsolete : the table, counter, or place of business of a money changer
2. : a person conducting a gambling house or game ; specifically : dealer
3. : a supply of something held in reserve: as
a. : the fund of supplies (as money, chips, or pieces) held by the banker or dealer for use in a game
b. : a fund of pieces belonging to a game (as dominoes) from which the players draw
4. : a place where something is held available
memory bank s
especially : a depot for the collection and storage of a biological product
a blood bank
IV. verb
Date: circa 1751
intransitive verb
1. : to manage a bank
2. : to deposit money or have an account in a bank
transitive verb
: to deposit or store in a bank
•
- bank on
V. noun
Etymology: Middle English banc bench, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English benc
Date: 1614
1. : a group or series of objects arranged together in a row or a tier: as
a. : a set of elevators
b. : a row or tier of telephones
2. : one of the horizontal and usually secondary or lower divisions of a headline