frank

See also: Frank

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɹæŋk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋk
• Homophones: franc, Frank

Etymology 1

Middle English, from Old French franc (“free”), in turn from the name of an early Germanic confederation, the Franks.

Adjective

frank (comparative franker, superlative frankest)

1. honest, especially in a manner that seems slightly blunt; candid; not reserved or disguised.

   May I be frank with you?

2. (medicine) unmistakable, clinically obvious, self-evident

   The research probes whether treating pre-diabetes with metformin can prevent progression to frank diabetes.

3. (obsolete) Unbounded by restrictions, limitations, etc.; free.
   • 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: Imprinted for VVilliam Ponsonbie, […], OCLC 15537294:

     It is of frank gift.

4. (obsolete) Liberal; generous; profuse.
   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:

     Frank of Civilities that cost them nothing.

5. (obsolete, derogatory) Unrestrained; loose; licentious.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

Derived terms

• frankly

Translations

bluntly honest

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: шчы́ры (be) (ščýry), адкры́ты (be) (adkrýty)
• Bulgarian: и́скрен (bg) (ískren)
• Catalan: franc (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 坦誠 (zh), 坦诚 (zh) (tǎnchéng), 真誠 (zh), 真诚 (zh) (zhēnchéng)

• Czech: upřímný (cs)
• Dutch: eerlijk (nl), open (nl), oprecht (nl), openhartig (nl)
• Esperanto: malkaŝa, malkaŝema
• Finnish: suora (fi)
• French: franc (fr)
• Galician: franco (gl) m, franca f
• German: ehrlich (de), offen (de), aufrichtig (de)
• Hebrew: כן‎ (he) (ken), גלוי-לב‎ (glúi-lev)
• Hungarian: nyílt (hu), őszinte (hu)
• Irish: oscailteach
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: atklāts

• Macedonian: искрен (iskren)
• Norman: franc
• Norwegian: frank
• Polish: szczery (pl), otwarty (pl)
• Portuguese: franco (pt)
• Russian: открове́нный (ru) (otkrovénnyj), и́скренний (ru) (ískrennij), откры́тый (ru) (otkrýtyj)
• Sanskrit: ऋजु (sa) (ṛju)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: искрен

  Roman: iskren (sh)

• Slovak: úprimný
• Slovene: odkrit, iskren (sl)
• Spanish: franco (es) m
• Swedish: uppriktig (sv), rättfram (sv)
• Tagalog: prangka
• Ukrainian: щи́рий (ščýryj), відве́ртий (vidvértyj)
• Volapük: stedälik (vo)

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. (uncountable) Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article).
   • October 5, 1780, William Cowper, letter to Rev. William Unwin

     I have said so much, that, if I had not a frank, I must burn my letter and begin again.

2. (countable) The notice on an envelope where a stamp would normally be found.

Verb

US franking mark

frank (third-person singular simple present franks, present participle franking, simple past and past participle franked)

1. To place a frank on an envelope.
   • 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, chapter 20

     It will be so ridiculous to see all his letters directed to him with an M.P.—But do you know, he says, he will never frank for me?

2. To exempt from charge for postage, as a letter, package, or packet, etc.
3. To send by public conveyance free of expense.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Charles Dickens to this entry?)

Translations

to place a frank on an envelope

• Dutch: frankeren (nl)
• Finnish: frankeerata (fi)

• Galician: franquear (gl)
• Hungarian: bérmentesít (hu)
• Maori: whakapane
• Swedish: frankera (sv)

See also

• prepay

Etymology 2

Shortened form of frankfurter.

A frank on a bun.

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. A hot dog or sausage.

   Synonyms: frankfurt, frankfurter

   Buy a package of franks for the barbecue.

   • 1978, Superman: The Movie, spoken by Perry White (Jackie Cooper):

     I want the name of this flying whatchamacallit to go with the Daily Planet like bacon and eggs, franks and beans, death and taxes, politics and corruption!

Related terms

• cocktail frank

See also

• sav
• savaloy

Etymology 3

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. (Britain) The grey heron.

Etymology 4

From Old French franc.

Noun

frank (plural franks)

1. A pigsty.

Verb

frank (third-person singular simple present franks, present participle franking, simple past and past participle franked)

1. To shut up in a frank or sty; to pen up; hence, to cram; to fatten.
   • c. 1593, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act 1, scene 3]:

     Marry, as for Clarence, he is well repaid;
     He is franked up to fatting for his pains

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Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfraŋk]
• Rhymes: -aŋk

Noun

frank m

1. franc (former currency of France and some other countries)
2. franc (any of several units of currency such as Swiss franc)

Further reading

• frank in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• frank in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

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Dutch

Alternative forms

• vrank (archaic, except in the expression vrank en vrij)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch vranc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /frɑŋk/
• Hyphenation: frank
• Rhymes: -ɑŋk
• Homophone: Frank

Adjective

frank (comparative franker, superlative frankst)

1. frank, candid, blunt, open-hearted
2. (dated) cheeky, brazen

Inflection

Inflection of frank
uninflected	frank
inflected	franke
comparative	franker
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		frank	franker	het frankst het frankste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	franke	frankere	frankste
	n. sing.	frank	franker	frankste
	plural	franke	frankere	frankste
definite		franke	frankere	frankste
partitive		franks	frankers	—

Derived terms

• frank en vrij

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Estonian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

frank (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

1. franc

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

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German

Etymology

From Middle High German franc, from Old French franc (“free”), of Germanic but eventually uncertain origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁaŋk/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

frank (not comparable)

1. (archaic) frank

Usage notes

• Now almost exclusively used in the (also somewhat dated) expression frank und frei.

Declension

Declension of frank

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist frank	sie ist frank	es ist frank	sie sind frank
strong declension (without article)	nominative	franker	franke	frankes	franke
	genitive	franken	franker	franken	franker
	dative	frankem	franker	frankem	franken
	accusative	franken	franke	frankes	franke
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der franke	die franke	das franke	die franken
	genitive	des franken	der franken	des franken	der franken
	dative	dem franken	der franken	dem franken	den franken
	accusative	den franken	die franke	das franke	die franken
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein franker	eine franke	ein frankes	(keine) franken
	genitive	eines franken	einer franken	eines franken	(keiner) franken
	dative	einem franken	einer franken	einem franken	(keinen) franken
	accusative	einen franken	eine franke	ein frankes	(keine) franken

Further reading

• “frank” in Duden online

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /frank/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

frank m anim

1. franc

Usage notes

Unqualified modern usage typically refers to the Swiss franc.

Declension

declension of frank

	singular	plural
nominative	frank	franki
genitive	franka	franków
dative	frankowi	frankom
accusative	franka	franki
instrumental	frankiem	frankami
locative	franku	frankach
vocative	franku	franki