Rank
/ræŋk/noun
A position in a hierarchy or social order; also, in another sense, having a strong unpleasant smell.
Did you know?The “rank” of social status and the “rank” of a foul smell are separate words in English, but both became powerful because English kept using the same short, forceful sound for intensity and order.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hrankaz
“Erect, stiff, proud; later used for a line or row in Germanic languages”
Old English
OE
ranc
“Proud, ostentatious, luxuriant, overgrown”
Middle English
English
rank
“A row or line; also lofty, luxuriant, strong, coarse, or foul-smelling”
Late Middle English
English
ranke
“A social class or position in an ordered line”
Modern English
English
rank
“A position in a hierarchy; also, offensively strong or unpleasant”