From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
crank
adj : (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
[syn: cranky, tender, tippy]
n 1: a bad-tempered person [syn: grouch, grump, churl,
crosspatch]
2: a whimsically eccentric person [syn: crackpot, nut, {nut
case}, nutcase, fruitcake, screwball]
3: amphetamine used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride;
used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an
appetite suppressant [syn: methamphetamine,
methamphetamine hydrochloride, Methedrine, meth,
deoxyephedrine, chalk, chicken feed, glass, ice,
shabu, trash]
4: a hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel
handle [syn: starter]
v 1: travel along a zigzag path; "The river zigzags through the
countryside" [syn: zigzag]
2: start by cranking; "crank up the engine" [syn: crank up]
3: rotate with a crank [syn: crank up]
4: fasten with a crank
5: bend into the shape of a crank
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Crank \Crank\, v. i. [See Crank, n.]
To run with a winding course; to double; to crook; to wind
and turn.
[1913 Webster]
See how this river comes me cranking in. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Crank \Crank\ (kr[a^][ng]k), n. [OE. cranke; akin to E. cringe,
cringle, crinkle, and to crank, a., the root meaning,
probably, "to turn, twist." See Cringe.]
1. (Mach.) A bent portion of an axle, or shaft, or an arm
keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft, by which
motion is imparted to or received from it; also used to
change circular into reciprocating motion, or
reciprocating into circular motion. See Bell crank.
[1913 Webster]
2. Any bend, turn, or winding, as of a passage.
[1913 Webster]
So many turning cranks these have, so many crooks.
--Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
3. A twist or turn in speech; a conceit consisting in a
change of the form or meaning of a word.
[1913 Webster]
Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
4. A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim; crotchet;
also, a fit of temper or passion. [Prov. Eng.]
[1913 Webster]
Violent of temper; subject to sudden cranks.
--Carlyle.
[1913 Webster]
5. A person full of crotchets; one given to fantastic or
impracticable projects; one whose judgment is perverted in
respect to a particular matter. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
6. A sick person; an invalid. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Thou art a counterfeit crank, a cheater. --Burton.
[1913 Webster]
Crank axle (Mach.), a driving axle formed with a crank or
cranks, as in some kinds of locomotives.
Crank pin (Mach.), the cylindrical piece which forms the
handle, or to which the connecting rod is attached, at the
end of a crank, or between the arms of a double crank.
Crank shaft, a shaft bent into a crank, or having a crank
fastened to it, by which it drives or is driven.
Crank wheel, a wheel acting as a crank, or having a wrist
to which a connecting rod is attached.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Crank \Crank\ (kr[a^][ng]k), a. [AS. cranc weak; akin to Icel.
krangr, D. & G. krank sick, weak (cf. D. krengen to careen).
Cf. Crank, n.]
1. Sick; infirm. [Prov. Eng.]
[1913 Webster]
2. (Naut.) Liable to careen or be overset, as a ship when she
is too narrow, or has not sufficient ballast, or is loaded
too high, to carry full sail.
[1913 Webster]
3. Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident;
opinionated.
[1913 Webster]
He who was, a little before, bedrid, . . . was now
crank and lusty. --Udall.
[1913 Webster]
If you strong electioners did not think you were
among the elect, you would not be so crank about it.
--Mrs. Stowe.
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
crank
(Automotive slang) Verb used to describe the performance of a
machine, especially sustained performance. "This box cranks
(or, cranks at) about 6 megaflops, with a burst mode of twice
that on vectorised operations."
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-01)
From Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) [jargon]:
crank
vt.
[from automotive slang] Verb used to describe the performance of a
machine, especially sustained performance. "This box cranks (or,
cranks at) about 6 megaflops, with a burst mode of twice that on
vectorized operations."