\Bank\ (b[a^][ng]k), n. [OE. banke; akin to E. bench, and
prob. of Scand. origin.; cf. Icel. bakki. See {Bench}.]
1. A mound, pile, or ridge of earth, raised above the
   surrounding level; hence, anything shaped like a mound or
   ridge of earth; as, a bank of clouds; a bank of snow.
         They cast up a bank against the city. --2 Sam. xx.
                                               15.
2. A steep acclivity, as the slope of a hill, or the side of
   a ravine.
3. The margin of a watercourse; the rising ground bordering a
   lake, river, or sea, or forming the edge of a cutting, or
   other hollow.
         Tiber trembled underneath her banks.  --Shak.
4. An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shoal,
   shelf, or shallow; as, the banks of Newfoundland.
5. (Mining)
   (a) The face of the coal at which miners are working.
   (b) A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above
       water level.
   (c) The ground at the top of a shaft; as, ores are brought
       to bank.
{Bank beaver} (Zo["o]l.), the otter. [Local, U.S.]
{Bank swallow}, a small American and European swallow
   ({Clivicola riparia}) that nests in a hole which it
   excavates in a bank.

\Bank\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Banked}(b[a^][ng]kt); p. pr. &
vb. n. {Banking}.]
1. To raise a mound or dike about; to inclose, defend, or
   fortify with a bank; to embank. ``Banked well with
   earth.'' --Holland.
2. To heap or pile up; as, to bank sand.
3. To pass by the banks of. [Obs.] --Shak.
{To bank a fire}, {To bank up a fire}, to cover the coals or
   embers with ashes or cinders, thus keeping the fire low
   but alive.

\Bank\, n. [Prob. fr. F. banc. Of German origin, and akin
to E. bench. See {Bench}.]
1. A bench, as for rowers in a galley; also, a tier of oars.
         Placed on their banks, the lusty Trojan sweep
         Neptune's smooth face, and cleave the yielding deep.
                                               --Waller.
2. (Law)
   (a) The bench or seat upon which the judges sit.
   (b) The regular term of a court of law, or the full court
       sitting to hear arguments upon questions of law, as
       distinguished from a sitting at Nisi Prius, or a court
       held for jury trials. See {Banc}. --Burrill.
3. (Printing) A sort of table used by printers.
4. (Music) A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard,
   as in an organ. --Knight.

\Bank\, n. [F. banque, It. banca, orig. bench, table,
counter, of German origin, and akin to E. bench; cf. G. bank
bench, OHG. banch. See {Bench}, and cf. {Banco}, {Beach}.]
1. An establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or
   issue, of money, and for facilitating the transmission of
   funds by drafts or bills of exchange; an institution
   incorporated for performing one or more of such functions,
   or the stockholders (or their representatives, the
   directors), acting in their corporate capacity.
2. The building or office used for banking purposes.
3. A fund from deposits or contributions, to be used in
   transacting business; a joint stock or capital. [Obs.]
         Let it be no bank or common stock, but every man be
         master of his own money.              --Bacon.
4. (Gaming) The sum of money or the checks which the dealer
   or banker has as a fund, from which to draw his stakes and
   pay his losses.
5. In certain games, as dominos, a fund of pieces from which
   the players are allowed to draw.
{Bank credit}, a credit by which a person who has given the
   required security to a bank has liberty to draw to a
   certain extent agreed upon.
{Bank of deposit}, a bank which receives money for safe
   keeping.
{Bank of issue}, a bank which issues its own notes payable to
   bearer.

\Bank\, v. t.
To deposit in a bank.

\Bank\, v. i.
1. To keep a bank; to carry on the business of a banker.
2. To deposit money in a bank; to have an account with a
   banker.

\Bank\, n.
A group or series of objects arranged near together; as, a
bank of electric lamps, etc.

\Bank\, n. (A["e]ronautics)
The lateral inclination of an a["e]roplane as it rounds a
curve; as, a bank of 45[deg] is easy; a bank of 90[deg] is
dangerous.

\Bank\, v. i. (A["e]ronautics)
To tilt sidewise in rounding a curve; -- said of a flying
machine, an a["e]rocurve, or the like.