bank
UK[bæŋk]US[bæŋk]
n
The land alongside or sloping down to a river or lake.
n
A financial institution that accepts deposits and lends money.
n
A long, raised mass or slope, especially one built up.
v
To have an account with a financial institution.
v
To tilt or cause to tilt sideways in making a turn.
Etymology
The word 'bank' presents a fascinating case of homonymy from separate origins. The financial sense derives from Old Italian 'banca', meaning a money-changer's bench or table, which came from a Germanic root related to 'bench'. This entered English via Old French 'banque'. The geographical sense, meaning the side of a river, comes from Old Norse 'bakki', meaning a ridge or mound. Both streams converged in Middle English, adopting the identical spelling 'bank'. The semantic logic connects the physical bench of the money-changer to the institution, and the raised ridge of land to the river's edge.
Analysis
The modern English word 'bank' is a simplex form resulting from the convergence of two distinct Old Norse and Old French words into identical spelling.
Examples
We had a picnic on the grassy bank of the river.
I need to go to the bank to deposit this check.
The pilot had to bank the aircraft sharply to avoid the storm clouds.