Samuel George Morton

The American Race is marked by a brown complexion; long, black, lank hair; and deficient beard.

American Scientist

Jasmine Guinness

I hate my hair! When clean, it is fuzzy, and when not clean, it is lank.

Irish Designer

Often implies a lack of vitality or health when describing appearance.

Negative Connotation

Rarely used to describe something positively; it suggests something is not well-kept.

Avoid With Positives

While often used for hair, 'lank' can describe other things that hang limply.

Not Just Hair

Describes a person's tall, thin physique, but not necessarily athletic.

Physical Build

Implies tall and thin without much muscle, unlike 'athletic' or 'toned'.

Not Muscular

When referring to body type, it’s a simple description without strong emotion.

Neutral Description

 and, when you had to go look for a child, hang wash on the line, or run down to the grocery store on the corner, under a coat, the twisted hem of the nightgown always lank and yellowed,

Lank