dank
UK: dæŋk | US: dæŋk
adj. unpleasantly damp and cold
adj. (slang) high-quality, excellent (often used to describe marijuana)
adj. (Internet slang) darkly humorous or edgy in an exaggerated way
The word "dank" traces back to Middle English danke, meaning "wet" or "damp," likely of Scandinavian origin (compare Old Norse dökk "pool"). Its modern slang meanings emerged much later—first as a term for high-quality marijuana (early 2000s, possibly due to the moist environment ideal for cultivation), then as Internet slang for dark humor (2010s), playing on the word’s original gloomy connotations.
The dungeon walls were cold and dank.
He showed me some dank weed he bought at the dispensary.
That meme was so dank it made me laugh uncomfortably.
After the storm, the basement smelled musty and dank.
"This playlist is dank," she said, nodding to the underground rap tracks.