dank

dank · adjective, noun¹

1. West Germanic · derived from
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*dankwaz“dark”
3. North Germanic · derived from
4. Middle English · inherited fromdanke“wet, damp; dampness, moisture”
5. English todaydank

From Middle English danke (“wet, damp; dampness, moisture”), probably from North Germanic, related to Swedish dank (“marshy spot”), Icelandic dökk (“pool”), Old Norse dǫkk (“pit, depression”), from Proto-Germanic *dankwaz (“dark”). However, some trace it to a West Germanic source such as Dutch damp (“vapor”) or Middle High German damph, both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *dampaz (“smoke, steam, vapor”). Modern slang senses derived from the drug sense; compare based (“awesome, especially in a right-wing context online”) from drug terminology freebased.

dank · verb²

1. Middle English · inherited fromdanken
2. English todaydank

From Middle English danken, from the adjective (see above).

Words from the same roots