rank
UK[ræŋk]US[ræŋk]
n
A position in a hierarchy, especially in the armed forces or an organization.
n
A line or row of people or things.
v
To give someone or something a particular position on a scale according to quality, importance, success, etc.
v
To have a particular position in a list of people or things that have been put in order of quality or importance.
adj
Describing something as complete, utter, or growing too thickly (e.g., rank vegetation; rank stupidity).
Etymology
The word 'rank' has a complex history tracing back to Old French ranc or renc, meaning 'row, line, order'. This was likely borrowed from a Germanic source, such as Old High German hring (circle, ring), which itself evolved from the Proto-Germanic \hringaz. The core concept of a circular arrangement or row evolved into the modern senses of a row of soldiers and a position within an ordered hierarchy. The adjectival sense of 'excessive' or 'foul', as in rank smell or rank amateur, developed in Middle English, possibly from the idea of overgrown, coarse vegetation growing in dense rows, emphasizing excess and lack of refinement.
Analysis
The word 'rank' is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It does not neatly divide into smaller, meaningful morphemes using its current English spelling. The entire word functions as a single lexical unit.
Examples
He achieved the rank of colonel after twenty years of service.
The candidates were ranked according to their test scores.
The garden was overgrown with rank weeds.