Word of the Day: Frank

frank

frank / frăngk

adjective

1. candid, honest, forthright, direct and straightforward in speech and expression

If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh useless.

Moliere, 1622 – 1673

2. evident; readily perceived; unmistakable

Often, the first presentation of allergy is discovered during the comprehensive exam’s case history, rather than the patient showing up with frank symptoms.

John Rumpakis, “Spring – and Pollen – is in the Air”, ‘Review of Optometry’, March 15, 2020

noun

1. a marking on a piece of mail indicating that delivery is free and no postage is required

House-wide “Dear Colleague” letters may be transmitted by inside mail without frank or stamp.

US House of Representatives Committee on Ethics, “The Frank”, www.ethics.house.gov/official-allowances/frank, accessed June 5, 2023

2. (informal) a frankfurter; a hot dog; a beef or pork smoked sausage

It may be healthier to eat beer and franks with cheer and thanks, than to eat sprouts and bread with doubts and dread.

John Robbins, 1947 –

3. Frank, a member of a Germanic group of people, which conquered Gaul and Germany around 500 AD and reached its greatest power in the ninth century under Charlemagne

The history of the Franks becomes, therefore, the history of the Netherlands.

From “The rise of the Dutch Republic: a history in three volumes” by John Lothrop Motley, 1814 – 1877

verb

1. to mark a piece of mail, indicating that it can be sent free of charge or that postage has been paid

My lord Orrery writes to you to-morrow; and you see I send this under his cover, or at least franked by him.

The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 14, 1667 – 1745

2. to allow free passage

Please help us find an appropriate sample sentence for this meaning of “frank”.