Plonk
/plɒŋk/noun
A dull, heavy sound or action, and especially in British and Australian English, inexpensive wine.
Did you know?The wine sense developed as slang in Australia and Britain, while the underlying word is generally treated as sound-imitative rather than descended from an ancient ritual or occult term.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
plonk
“A sound-imitative verb for putting or striking something heavily.”
Late 19th Century
English
plonk
“A dull, resonant sound, especially one produced by impact or a poorly played musical note.”
Early 20th Century
Australian English
plonk
“Cheap or ordinary wine; the slang sense may have been influenced by French blanc, though this explanation is disputed.”
20th Century
British English
plonk
“Inexpensive wine, particularly wine regarded as undistinguished.”
Modern English
English
plonk
“A dull impact or sound, an act of dropping something heavily, or cheap wine.”