A movable wooden bridge or ramp used to board or disembark from a ship, typically connecting the ship to a dock or shore.
From 'gang' (a passage or going) from Old Norse 'gangr' (to go) plus 'plank' (a wooden board). A gangway or gang-passage with planks as the walking surface.
Pirates and adventurers from movies are always walking the plank, but that's actually pretty fictional—real sailors walked up gangplanks safely to board ships! The 'walk the plank' punishment was much rarer and more theatrical than movies suggest.
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