think tank

See also: thinktank, Thinktank, think-tank, Think-tank, and Think-Tank

English

Alternative forms

• thinktank, think-tank

Etymology

From the use of think tank or think box in the 19th century to refer to the human brain.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

think tank (plural think tanks)

1. (idiomatic) A group of people who collectively perform research and develop reports and recommendations on topics relating to strategic planning or public policy, and which is usually funded by corporate, government, or special interests.

   Synonym: think factory

   • 1974, The Think Tank (Are You Being Served?), season 2, episode 3, spoken by "Captain" Stephen Peacock (Frank Thornton):

     Why don't we take a leaf out of the government's book and have a think tank?

   • 1978, Peter Watson, War on the Mind, New York: Basic Books, →ISBN, page 21:

     As 1965 drew to a close a secret research project for the United States Department of Defense was concluded by a ‘think-tank’ of seven psychologists at the American Institute for Research, in the Maryland woods outside Washington, DC.

2. (obsolete) The brain.
   • 1937, Madge Macbeth, Wings in the West, London: J. Hamilton, page 261:

     Slade's eyes, china blue and menacing, held hers for an instant, then he turned again to her father and completed his sentence, “or else I think I know a stunt that will speed up your work . . . something that will make your think-tank bubble a bit faster. […] ”

Translations

group producing research and recommendations

• Arabic: خَلِيَّة تَفْكِير f (ḵaliyyat tafkīr)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 智囊團／智囊团 (zh) (zhìnángtuán), 智庫／智库 (zh) (zhìkù), 思想庫／思想库 (zh) (sīxiǎngkù), 智囊機構／智囊机构 (zh) (zhìnáng jīgòu), 智囊班子 (zhìnáng bānzi), 頭腦企業／头脑企业 (tóunǎo qǐyè), 智囊集團／智囊集团 (zhìnáng jítuán), 顧問班子／顾问班子 (gùwèn bānzi), 腦庫／脑库 (nǎokù)

• Danish: tænketank c
• Dutch: denktank (nl) m
• Esperanto: pensfabriko
• Finnish: ajatuspaja (fi), ajatushautomo (fi)
• French: groupe de réflexion m, laboratoire d’idées (fr) m, centre de réflexion m
• Georgian: კვლევითი ინსტიტუტი (ḳvleviti insṭiṭuṭi), კვლევითი ცენტრი (ḳvleviti cenṭri), ანალიტიკური ინსტიტუტი (analiṭiḳuri insṭiṭuṭi), ანალიტიკური ცენტრი (analiṭiḳuri cenṭri)
• German: Denkfabrik f, Thinktank (de) m
• Greek: δεξαμενή σκέψης (el) f (dexamení sképsis)
• Hungarian: agytröszt (hu)
• Icelandic: hugveita f
• Indonesian: lembaga pemikir, wadah pemikir
• Italian: centro studi m, centro di ricerca m, laboratorio d'idee m, istituto d'investigazione m, gabinetto strategico m, gruppo di riflessione m
• Japanese: シンクタンク (shinkutanku), 頭脳集団 (ずのうしゅうだん, zunōshūdan)
• Korean: 싱크탱크 (singkeutaengkeu), 두뇌 집단(頭腦集團) (dunoe jipdan)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ramanxane (ku) f

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tenketank (no) m, tankesmie m or f

• Persian: اندیشکده (andiškade), اتاقِ فکر (otâq-e fekr)
• Polish: think tank (pl) m
• Portuguese: usina de ideias f, órgão de reflexão m, think tank m
• Russian: мозгово́й трест m (mozgovój trest), мозгово́й центр (ru) m (mozgovój centr), фа́брика иде́й f (fábrika idéj), аналити́ческий центр m (analitíčeskij centr)
• Spanish: tanque de pensamiento m, centro de reflexión m
• Swedish: tankesmedja (sv) c
• Turkish: beyin takımı (tr), think-tank
• Ukrainian: аналіти́чний це́нтр m (analitýčnyj céntr)

See also

• brain trust, brains trust

Further reading

• think tank on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English think tank.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiŋ.ktaŋk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iŋktaŋk

Noun

think tank m inan

1. think tank

Declension

Declension of think tank

	singular	plural
nominative	think tank	think tanki
genitive	think tanku	think tanków
dative	think tankowi	think tankom
accusative	think tank	think tanki
instrumental	think tankiem	think tankami
locative	think tanku	think tankach
vocative	think tanku	think tanki

Further reading

• think tank in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• think tank in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English think tank.

Noun

think tank m (plural think tanks)

1. (idiomatic) think tank (group producing research and recommendations)

   Synonyms: usina de ideias, órgão de reflexão