Planks

ˈplæŋks

nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A long, flat piece of timber used for building or other purposes.

ˈplæŋks

nounneutralBeginner
General

A long, thick, flat piece of timber, especially one used in building.

They used planks to create a temporary bridge.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're building a treehouse. You'd use long, flat pieces of wood, right? Those are planks! They're like the big, flat building blocks for floors, walls, or even a makeshift bridge.

👶 For kids: A big, flat piece of wood, like the ones you might walk on to cross a gap.

More Examples

2

The floor was made of old, weathered planks.

3

The carpenter measured the planks before cutting them.

How It's Used

Construction

"The workers used planks to build the scaffolding."

Nautical

"The deck of the ship was made of sturdy wooden planks."

2

A key principle or policy in a political platform.

ˈplæŋks

nounneutralmedium
General

A position or principle.

The candidate's platform included several key planks on economic reform.

💡 Simply: Imagine a political party's main ideas, like a list of promises they make. Each important promise or idea is like a plank in their platform. If they say they want to lower taxes, that's a plank!

👶 For kids: A special idea or rule that a group of people believe in, like a promise.

More Examples

2

One of the main planks of their policy was environmental protection.

3

Each plank represented a specific policy position.

How It's Used

Politics

"The party announced its platform of planks."

Tip:Think of a political platform; each main point is a 'plank'.

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Middle English plank, from Old French planc, from Vulgar Latin *planca, from Latin planca ('flat slab').

Planks have been used in construction for centuries, dating back to ancient civilizations. They were crucial for building structures and creating walkways and platforms.

Memory tip

Think of walking on a wooden walkway; those are planks.

Word Origin

LanguageVulgar Latin
Original meaning

"flat slab"

Base: plank
wooden plankssteel planksplank bridgeplank floorplank of a platform

Common misspellings

planksplank's

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written