How to pronounce rank

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What rank means

adjective

Most people know rank in its everyday sense. Here's its other meaning.

Having a strong, nasty smell or taste

In a sentence: The gym bag had a rank smell after a week in the car.

Where it comes from: It comes from the Old English ranc, meaning proud or strong. The smell meaning was possibly shaped by the word rancor. It is a different word from rank, a place in a list.

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