*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tanky

From tank + -y (adjectival suffix).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Having a dank quality resulting from excessive ageing in a tank. · Able to withstand much damage, having a lot of hit points (that is, like a tank).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From tank + -y (adjectival suffix).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Word-formation componenttanken
  • Word-formation component-yen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tank",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "adjectival",
        "pos2": "adjectival suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "tank + -y (adjectival suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tank",
      "tank#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Having a dank quality resulting from excessive ageing in a tank.",
        "Able to withstand much damage, having a lot of hit points (that is, like a tank)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d2159926d0b8b89f7de3dcaf7008dd9c4681bcea855fa94449df67c9e0c34de3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fe89396ef3f219c643aa69a0a0ef3084f27507edf9af7af5423d6edb6183303d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4888059
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A sailor who assists the navigator of the ship; a sailor in charge of the ship's hold, and thus responsible for the provision of rations and water. · Alternative form of tankie (“a soldier from a tank regiment; a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain”). · A storage tank, especially for water.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From tank + -y (diminutive suffix). The noun sense is from the fact that the assistant of the navigator of a ship was also in charge of the ship’s water tanks, and later its rations when refrigeration was introduced.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Word-formation componenttanken
  • Word-formation component-yen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tank",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "diminutive",
        "pos2": "diminutive suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "tank + -y (diminutive suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tank",
      "tank#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "assistant",
      "assistant"
    ],
    [
      "navigator",
      "navigator"
    ],
    [
      "ship",
      "ship"
    ],
    [
      "water",
      "water"
    ],
    [
      "tank",
      "tank"
    ],
    [
      "rations",
      "rations"
    ],
    [
      "refrigeration",
      "refrigeration"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sailor who assists the navigator of the ship; a sailor in charge of the ship's hold, and thus responsible for the provision of rations and water.",
        "Alternative form of tankie (“a soldier from a tank regiment; a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain”).",
        "A storage tank, especially for water."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "India"
      ],
      "recordId": "c32bd1d0046ddfb8ee4abcb03c2e09e483163e02eb1a767fd119fa9324c325a2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6aedcb963906e02951466265b065521d7c7268414ad4da50d25e4a3e5bc6451e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4888060
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tanky →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dGFua3k