Adjective

Strong of its kind or in character; unmitigated; virulent; thorough; utter.

Strong in growth; growing with vigour or rapidity, hence, coarse or gross.

* Bible, (w) xli. 5

And, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

*{{quote-book, year=1944, author=(w)

, title= The Three Corpse Trick, chapter=5 , passage=The hovel stood in the centre of what had once been a vegetable garden, but was now a patch of rank weeds. Surrounding this, almost like a zareba, was an irregular ring of gorse and brambles, an unclaimed vestige of the original common.}}

Suffering from overgrowth or hypertrophy; plethoric.

* 1899 , (Joseph Conrad),

The moon had spread over everything a thin layer of silver—over the rank grass, over the mud, upon the wall of matted vegetation standing higher than the wall of a temple

Causing strong growth; producing luxuriantly; rich and fertile.

(Mortimer)

Strong to the senses; offensive; noisome.

Having a very strong and bad taste or odor.

* (Robert Boyle) (1627-1691)

Divers sea fowls taste rank of the fish on which they feed.

Complete, used as an intensifier (usually negative, referring to incompetence).

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=March 1, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC

, title= Chelsea 2-1 Man Utd , passage=Chelsea remain rank outsiders to retain their crown and they still lie 12 points adrift of United, but Ancelotti will regard this as a performance that supports his insistence that they can still have a say when the major prizes are handed out this season.}}

(label) Gross, disgusting.

(label) Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.

(label) Inflamed with venereal appetite.

(Shakespeare)