What does hank mean?
Hank is most familiar as a noun for a coil or skein of yarn, wool, or another fiber bundled into a manageable twist. This use is especially associated with textile work and yarn terminology, although the word can apply to similar bundles more generally. In some British and Scottish dialects, hank also means a male cat, giving the word a rare and old-fashioned secondary sense. As a verb, hank means to yearn for or strongly desire something and is normally used informally in constructions such as hank for a person, place, or experience. Its pronunciation is simple and stable: the final consonant is the same velar nasal sound heard at the end of think or sink. Although several alternatives exist for a bundle of yarn, hank is a useful traditional term with a distinctive history and a charming dialectal meaning that makes it more memorable than its everyday frequency might suggest.
A coil or skein of yarn or similar fiber; in some British and Scottish dialects, a male cat.
"The wool was arranged in large hanks for storage."
The yarn sense is established in general English, while the male-cat sense is chiefly regional and dated.
To yearn for or strongly desire something.
"He hanked for the mountains after years in the city."
Informal; commonly used with for or after.
The ordinary plural of the noun, used for separate bundles or skeins of yarn.
"The shop sells hanks of locally spun wool."
Its main job is wonderfully practical: it names a twist of yarn bundled for handling, while its regional “male cat” sense provides an unexpected old-fashioned surprise.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hank come from?
The main noun is recorded in Middle English and is generally traced to Old Norse hang, meaning a bundle or coil. It is commonly connected with the wider Germanic word family represented in English by hang, hanger, and hangar. The development of its core sense from a bundle to a specifically twisted coil of yarn reflects the word’s long association with textile handling.
How hank is actually used
The noun is mainly associated with yarn, wool, and textile contexts, where skein and coil are often more common. The male-cat sense is regional and old-fashioned. The verb is informal and typically takes for or after.
Easily confused with hank
A hank is a bundled coil of yarn or fiber, whereas to hang means to suspend or fasten something.