The Tank Was Named to Disguise It
A tank is a container for liquid. The armoured vehicle got its name as a deliberate cover story.
A tank is a large container for liquid or gas, and also an armoured tracked vehicle. The military sense is a security measure that stuck: when the first armoured vehicles were built in secret in 1915, workers were told they were mobile water tanks for Mesopotamia, and the crates were labelled accordingly. The cover name went into service with the weapon. The container word came from India, probably from Gujarati *tankh*, a reservoir, reinforced by Portuguese *tanque*.
- A container. *A water tank.*
- An armoured vehicle. *A battle tank.*
- To fail badly. *The film tanked.*
- Think tank. *A think tank.*
- Gujarati — *tankh*, a reservoir. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tank | A tank. |
| Plural | tanks | Tanks. |
| Verb | tank | Tanked. |
| Compound | think tank | A think tank. |
| Portuguese | tanque | A tank. |
- The water tank was full.Container.
- Tanks crossed the ridge.Military.
- The scheme tanked.Informal.
Code names that became the real name
- Tank — a cover story for a secret weapon in 1915
- Manhattan Project — the codename outlived the secrecy
- Jeep — possibly from GP, general purpose, or a cartoon character
- Bailey bridge — named after its designer, then standard
- Some cover names proved more memorable than any official one
Probably from Gujarati *tankh*, a reservoir, reinforced by Portuguese *tanque*; the vehicle sense dates from 1915.
Why is an armoured vehicle called a tank?
It was a secrecy measure. Workers building the first ones in 1915 were told they were mobile water tanks, and the name stuck.
Where does the container word come from?
From India, probably Gujarati tankh, a reservoir, reinforced by Portuguese tanque.