rhizoverbBeta
DictionarylankLimp and straight
adjective

lank

LANGK/læŋk/

Long, straight, and limp, especially of hair.

Her lank hair hangs limply around her face after swimming.

Young adult with long thin limp hair hanging flat beside face, realistic unglamorous hair texture, neutral expression, no writing.
Etymology
lankOld Englishloose, slender, flaccid

Old English hlanc described something loose, empty, or flaccid. That combination of thinness and lack of firmness survives in lank, which suggests an unappealingly limp, lean appearance.

In context

Libranima404:54
It was a sight to see the figure Don Quixote made, long, lank, lean, and yellow, his garments clinging tight to him, ungainly, and above all anything but agile.
Don Quixote - Cervantes (Illustrated Audiobook) Part 4 of 4

More examples

  • She brushes her lank hair back from her forehead.
  • This shampoo makes my hair look lank.
  • His lank bangs fall into his eyes.

Forms

lank · lanker · lankest

lankness noun — The quality of being straight and limp.

Similar words

limp
Lacks stiffness without necessarily being long or straight.
flat
Describes hair lacking volume, without implying length or straightness.