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DictionaryflankBody side
noun / verb

flank

FLANK/flæŋk/

The side of a body, away from its front and rear.

The groom gently rests a palm on the horse's flank.

Side profile of horse; groom gently rests palm on the broad side between ribs and hip, focal flank, no labels.
Etymology
flankOld Frenchhip, side

Old French flanc named the hip or side of the body. English extended this bodily sense to the side of a military formation and then to the side of anything.

In context

Kings and Generals64:35
Battalions and squadrons held the French right flank near the Augustine Monastery
War of the Spanish Succession: All Battles and Events - FULL DOCUMENTARY

More examples

  • The runner feels a sharp pain in her left flank.
  • Two tall trees flank the entrance to the house.
  • The soldiers move through the woods to flank the enemy.

Forms

flank · flanks · flanked · flanking

Similar words

side
A broader term for any lateral surface or area.