Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - shank

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English ~e, from Old English scanca; akin to Old Norse skakkr crooked, Greek skazein to limp  Date: before 12th century  1.  a. the part of the leg between the knee and the ankle in humans or the corresponding part in various other vertebrates  b. leg  c. a cut of beef, veal, mutton, or lamb from the upper or the lower part of the leg ; shin — see beef illustration  2. a straight narrow usually essential part of an object: as  a. the straight part of a nail or pin  b. a straight part of a plant ; stem, stalk  c. the part of an anchor between the ring and the crown — see anchor illustration  d. the part of a fishhook between the eye and the bend  e. the part of a key between the handle and the bit  f. the stem of a tobacco pipe or the part between the stem and the bowl  g. tang 1  h.  (1) the narrow part of the sole of a shoe beneath the instep  (2) ~piece  3. a part of an object by which it can be attached: as  a.  (1) a projection on the back of a solid button  (2) a short stem of thread that holds a sewn button away from the cloth  b. the end (as of a drill bit) that is gripped in a chuck  4.  a. the latter part of a period of time  b. the early or main part of a period of time 11 p.m. on the East coast is merely the ~ of the evening on the West coast  5. slang an often homemade knife  • ~ed adjective  II. transitive verb  Date: 1927 to hit (a golf ball or shot) with the extreme heel of the club so that the ball goes off in an unintended direction; also to kick (a football) in an unintended direction