different between honk vs conk

English

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /h??k/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /h??k/, /h??k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Verb

honk (third-person singular simple present honks, present participle honking, simple past and past participle honked)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To use a car horn.

2. (intransitive) To make a loud, harsh sound like a car horn.
3. (intransitive) To make the vocal sound of a goose.
4. (slang) To vomit: regurgitate the contents of one's stomach.
5. (slang) To have a bad smell.
6. (informal) To squeeze playfully, usually a breast or nose.

Derived terms

• honker
• honking

Translations

Noun

honk (countable and uncountable, plural honks)

1. The sound produced by a typical car horn.
2. The cry of a goose.
3. (informal) A bad smell.

Translations

Interjection

honk

1. Imitation of car horn, used, for example, to clear a path for oneself.

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

honk (plural honks)

1. Clipping of honky.

Anagrams

• Kohn, khon

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch honc, likely through Old Dutch from Proto-Germanic *hank-, *hunk-. Only has cognates in the Frisian languages and possibly in the Old High German placename Hancwin. Since cognates outside of Germanic are lacking, the word is probably of substrate origin. Possibly related to haak (“hook”) and hoek (“corner”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???k/
• Hyphenation: honk
• Rhymes: -??k

Noun

honk n (plural honken, diminutive honkje n)

1. (somewhat rare) home, place where one belongs, shelter
2. (games) base (safe zone, e.g. in baseball and similar sports)

Synonyms

• (home): thuis, heem

Derived terms

• honkbal
• honkvast
• jeugdhonk
• krachthonk

References

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??k/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /k??k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Etymology 1

Variant or figurative use of conch. Attested since the nineteenth century.

Alternative forms

• konk

Noun

conk (plural conks)

1. The shelf- or bracket-shaped fruiting body of a bracket fungus (also called a shelf fungus), i.e. a mushroom growing off a tree trunk.
2. (slang) A nose, especially a large one.
3. Alternative spelling of conch

Translations

Verb

conk (third-person singular simple present conks, present participle conking, simple past and past participle conked)

1. (slang) To hit, especially on the head.

Related terms

• conk out

Translations

Etymology 2

From congolene, the brand name of a hair-straightening product.

Noun

conk (plural conks)

1. (US, dated) A hairstyle involving the chemical straightening and styling of kinky hair.

Verb

conk (third-person singular simple present conks, present participle conking, simple past and past participle conked)

1. (US, dated) To chemically straighten tightly curled hair.
   • 1957, James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues,” in Going to Meet the Man, Dial, 1965,^[1]

     The barbecue cook, wearing a dirty white apron, his conked hair reddish and metallic in the pale sun, and a cigarette between his lips, stood in the doorway, watching them.

Translations

Etymology 3

Origin unknown. Attested since the early twentieth century.

Verb

conk (third-person singular simple present conks, present participle conking, simple past and past participle conked)

1. (colloquial, often with out) To fail or show signs of failing, cease operating, break down, become unconscious.

References

Anagrams

• Nock, nock