flank vs wing

flank

noun
  • The wing, one side of the pitch. 

  • The flesh between the last rib and the hip; the side. 

  • The sides of a bastion perpendicular to the wall from which the bastion projects. 

  • The outermost strip of a road. 

  • That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line. 

  • A cut of meat from the flank of an animal. 

  • The side of something, in general senses. 

  • The extreme left or right edge of a military formation, army etc. 

adj
  • Maximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of damage), now frequently used interchangeably. Typically used in an emergency or during an attack. 

verb
  • To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side). 

  • To defend the flank(s) of. 

  • To attack the flank(s) of. 

  • To place to the side(s) of. 

wing

noun
  • A position in several field games on either side of the field. 

  • A fin at the side of a ray or similar fish 

  • One of the broad, thin, anterior lobes of the foot of a pteropod, used as an organ in swimming. 

  • A panel of a car which encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels. 

  • An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly 

  • Anything that agitates the air as a wing does, or is put in winglike motion by the action of the air, such as a fan or vane for winnowing grain, the vane or sail of a windmill, etc. 

  • A larger formation of two or more groups, which in turn control two or more squadrons. 

  • Passage by flying; flight. 

  • A platform on either side of the bridge of a vessel, normally found in pairs. 

  • Either of the two side petals of a papilionaceous flower. 

  • A player occupying such a position, also called a winger 

  • A part of something that is lesser in size than the main body, such as an extension from the main building. 

  • A cosmetic effect where eyeliner curves outward and ends at a point. 

  • That part of the hold or orlop of a vessel which is nearest the sides. In a fleet, one of the extremities when the ships are drawn up in line, or when forming the two sides of a triangle. 

  • A faction of a political movement. Usually implies a position apart from the mainstream center position. 

  • Any membranaceous expansion, such as that along the sides of certain stems, or of a fruit of the kind called samara. 

  • Limb or instrument of flight; means of flight or of rapid motion. 

  • An ornament worn on the shoulder; a small epaulet or shoulder knot. 

  • A unit of command consisting of two or more squadrons and itself being a sub-unit of a group or station. 

  • One of the large pectoral fins of a flying fish. 

  • The insignia of a qualified pilot or aircrew member. 

  • Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air. 

  • A side shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up by the side of another. 

  • One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre. 

  • A protruding piece of material on a menstrual pad to hold it in place and prevent leakage. 

  • Human arm. 

  • On the enneagram, one of the two adjacent types to an enneatype that forms an individual's subtype of his or her enneatype. 

  • A portable shelter consisting of a fabric roof on a frame, like a tent without sides. 

  • A háček. 

verb
  • To throw. 

  • To add a wing (extra part) to. 

  • To furnish with wings. 

  • To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm. 

  • To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it. 

  • To traverse by flying. 

  • To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily. 

  • To fly. 

How often have the words flank and wing occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )