Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SHANK, n. [Sax. scanc, sceanc; G. and D. schenkel; Sw. skank.]

1. The whole joint from the knee to the ankle. In a horse the part of the fore leg between the knee and the footlock.
2. The tibia or large bone of the leg; as, crooked shanks.
3. The long part of an instrument; as, the shank of a key. – Moxon. The beam or shaft of an anchor. – Mar. Dict.
4. A plant, [Bryonia.] – Johnson.