spank
v.v. to hit someone on their bottom with your open hand as a punishment. You usually see this used when talking about how parents used to discipline children.
v. to strike the buttocks with the open hand as a form of corporal punishment. Often carries a domestic or disciplinary connotation; informal in most contexts.
The child was worried his parents would spank him for breaking the vase.
Many modern parenting experts advise against the decision to spank children, suggesting that positive reinforcement is more effective.
While historical records indicate that teachers would frequently spank students for minor infractions, contemporary educational standards have strictly prohibited any form of physical discipline in the classroom.
Uncertain. Possibly imitative, or perhaps a special use of Etymology 2 (below) in the sense of a horse stamping its foot against the ground. There is no evidence of a relation with Portuguese espancar (“to batter, strike”).
Uncertain. Likely of Dutch or Low German origin. Compare North Frisian spanke (“to step with pride”), Saterland Frisian spankje (“to splash”), dialectal Dutch spanken (“to limp, hobble”), Dutch spankeren (“to run away quickly, gallop off”), German Low German spenkern (“to burst, explode, shatter, splash, spray”), Danish spanke (“to strut”), Swedish spånka (“to strut proudly”); originally, equivalent to span + -k. Compare also dialectal English spang (“to leap, bound; shoot out, fling”).
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, typically a person.