tank (n.1)
1610s, "pool or lake for irrigation or drinking water," a word originally brought by the Portuguese from India, from a Hindi source, such as Gujarati tankh "cistern, underground reservoir for water," Marathi tanken, or tanka "reservoir of water, tank." Perhaps it is ultimately from Sanskrit tadaga-m "pond, lake pool."
The meaning "large artificial container for liquid" (in English by 1680s) might have been reinforced by Portuguese tanque "reservoir," from estancar "hold back a current of water," from Vulgar Latin *stanticare (see stanch). But Century Dictionary and other sources say the Portuguese word is the source of the English one and the resemblance to the Indian words is coincidental.
The meaning "fuel container of a motor vehicle" is recorded from 1902. The slang meaning "detention cell" is from 1912. The railroad tank-car, for bulk transport of liquids, is from 1874.
tank (v.)
1863, "plunge (someone or something) into a tank;" 1886, "throw or cause (liquid) to flow into a tank;" from tank (n.1).
The meaning "to lose or fail" attested from 1976 in a general sense, apparently originally in tennis jargon, specifically in an interview with Billie Jean King in Life magazine, Sept. 22, 1967:
"When our men don't feel like trying," she says, "They 'tank' [give up]. I never tanked a match in my life and I never saw a girl do it. The men do it all the time in minor tournaments when they don't feel like hustling. You have to be horribly competitive to win in big-time tennis."
It is sometimes said to be from boxing, in some sense, perhaps from the notion of "taking a dive," but evidence for this is wanting. Related: Tanked; tanking. Adjective tanked "drunk" is from 1893.
tank (n.2)
"armored, gun-mounted vehicle moving on continuous articulated tracks," late 1915; a special use of tank (n.1).
In "Tanks in the Great War" [1920], Brevet Col. J.F.C. Fuller quotes a memorandum of the Committee of Imperial Defence dated Dec. 24, 1915, recommending the proposed "caterpillar machine-gun destroyer" machines be entrusted to an organization "which, for secrecy, shall be called the 'Tank Supply Committee,' ..."
In a footnote, Fuller writes, "This is the first appearance of the word 'tank' in the history of the machine." He writes that "cistern" and "reservoir" also were put forth as possible cover names, "all of which were applicable to the steel-like structure of the machines in the early stages of manufacture. Because it was less clumsy and monosyllabic, the name 'tank' was decided on."
They first saw action at Pozieres ridge on the Western Front, Sept. 15, 1916, and the name quickly was picked up by the soldiers. Tank-trap attested from 1920.
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updated on December 29, 2023