Clank Is the Sound of Heavy Metal With No Ring
A clank is a dull metallic sound. Chains, machinery and armour clank because they are heavy and do not resonate.
A clank is a dull, heavy metallic sound with no lingering ring. What produces one is physics: a bell is shaped to resonate, while a chain, a radiator or a suit of armour damps its own vibration immediately. That is why nothing in a dungeon ever clangs and nothing in a bell tower ever clanks. The word is imitative, first recorded in the 1600s alongside *clang* and *clink*.
- A dull metallic sound. *The clank of chains.*
- To make that sound. *The radiator clanked.*
- Clanking — the continuing noise. *Clanking pipes.*
- Clang — the ringing cousin. *A clanging bell.*
- Clatter — many small impacts. *A clatter of pans.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | clank | A single clank. |
| Verb | clank | Chains clank. |
| Past | clanked | It clanked. |
| Adjective | clanking | Clanking machinery. |
| Related | clang | A clanging bell. |
- The old radiator clanked all night.Domestic.
- Chains clanked across the deck.Heavy metal.
- Armour clanks; bells clang.The distinction.
Why some metal rings and some does not
- Bells are cast to a shape that sustains vibration
- Chains and plates damp themselves at once
- Loose parts absorb energy in the joints
- Thin metal rings; thick heavy metal thuds
- Bell metal, a bronze alloy, is chosen for exactly this quality
Imitative in origin, recorded from the 1600s, formed alongside *clang* and *clink* on the same pattern.
Can a bell clank?
Only if it is cracked or badly damped. A working bell rings, so it clangs or peals.
Is clank onomatopoeic?
Yes. Like clang, clink and clatter, it was formed to imitate the sound it names.