Past tense of clank; made a sharp metallic sound by striking or moving, often heavily or awkwardly.
From 'clank,' onomatopoeia derived from imitation of metal-striking sounds. The '-ed' suffix marks the past tense. Related to 'clang' and 'clangour' through shared Latin roots.
Onomatopoeia words like 'clank' are universal shortcuts—almost every language has a word that sounds like metal banging! But 'clanked' proves English lets us turn those immediate-sounding words into past events, showing how versatile even imitative words become.
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