plank / plangk/ • n. 1. a long, thin, flat piece of timber, used esp. in building and flooring.2. a fundamental point of a political or other program: the central plank of the bill is the curb on industrial polluters.• v. [tr.] 1. make, provide, or cover with planks: the ship was planked with teak | [as adj.] (planked) the planked floor. 2. inf. another term for plunk (sense 3).3. cook and serve (meat or fish) on a plank.PHRASES: walk the plank (formerly) be forced by pirates to walk blindfold along a plank over the side of a ship to one's death in the sea. ∎ inf. lose one's job or position.

plank. Long flat piece of timber, thicker than a board. Plank-walling is a timber-framed structure, the spaces filled by planks. See stave.

Bibliography

Alcock,, Barley,, Dixon,, & and Meeson

plank sb. XIII. — ONF. planke (mod. dial. planque) = (O)F. planche :- late L. planca plank, slab, sb. use of fem. of plancus flat, flat-footed, prob. rel. to Gr. pláx flat surface.
Hence plank vb. cover with planks XV; (orig. U.S.) set down, deposit XIX.