Obs. Forms: 4 frawnke, 6–7 franke, 7 franck, 5– frank. [a. OF. franc in same sense.]
1. An enclosure, esp. a place to feed hogs in; a sty. Also, the process of fattening animals.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 3247.
| Alle froytez foddenid was þat floreschede in erthe, | |
| ffaire frithed in frawnke appone tha free bowes. |
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 177/1. Frank, kepynge of fowlys to make fatte, saginarium.
1562. Bulleyn, Def. agst. Sickness, 67. The fatte Oxe, or vglie brauned Bore … can not come out from their frankes or staules.
1621. Sanderson, Serm., I. 194. Stall-fed monks and friears, who lived mewed up in their cells and cloisters, like boars in a franck, pining themselves into lard, and beating down their bodies till their girdles crack.
1736. Bailey, Househ. Dict., 115. The Frank should be in form something like a dog kennel, a little longer than the boar.
1823. Crabb, Technol. Dict., Frank (Archæol.) a place to feed boars in.
And in mod. Dicts.
fig. 1563. Becon, Compar. Lord’s Supper & Pope’s Mass, Wks. III. 110. I may speake nothyng of that most fatte francke of Whoremongers, Adulterers … and suche other idle beastes.
2. Comb.: frank-fed a., fed in a frank; fatted.
1550. Bale, Image Both Ch., xiv. H ij b. The frank fed porkelynges of that gredy gulf.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 480. These guests of his fared so highly, that a man would haue said they had bin franke-fed.
Hence † Franky a. nonce-wd., looking as if frank-fed; ‘stalled.’
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, III. (Arb.), 77.
| When tward theese Islands oure ships wee setled in hauen, | |
| Neere, we viewd, grasing heards of bigge franckye fat oxen. |
