sheep·shank (sh?p?sh?ngk?)n. A hitch made in a line to shorten it.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.sheepshank (??i?p??æ?k) n (Knots) a knot consisting of two hitches at the ends of a bight made in a rope to shorten it temporarilyCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014sheep?shank (??ip??æ?k) n. a kind of knot, hitch, or bend made on a rope to shorten it temporarily. [1625?35; short for sheepshank knot; literal sense unclear] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.