Gangplank
/ˈɡæŋˌplæŋk/noun
A movable plank or bridge used to board or leave a ship.
Did you know?The first element, gang, comes from an old word meaning “to go” or “a way of going,” not the criminal sense, so the word originally just meant a passage plank for boarding.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
gang
“a going, passage, journey”
Old English
OE
planc
“a plank or board”
Middle English
ME
gangplank
“a board or plank used for passage”
19th Century
English
gangplank
“a movable plank used to board a ship”
Modern English
English
gangplank
“a movable bridge between a ship and shore or another vessel”