A super nerd word for "the guy taking all the damage in a mmorpg game" Think total dumbfuck that has no spell casting ability and can swing a giant axe so he moronically runs in front of everyone like a big tank.

comes from mmorpgs, where you would have a healer in your party and a person with high defense. (i.e. meat sack-o-shield warriors). the warrior rush an opponent and the monk would do their best to keep the warrior alive with healing and stat bonuses. then, the other members could
a)fight and hit hard
b)run away like scared little girls

so, in essence, it is a big distraction to open opportunites for attack or to run away, like a sacrifice but to keepp it alive.

The word tanking, in terms of sport, would be used to describe a bad performance

Tanking is the act of giving up a match or "throwing it away", losing intentionally or not competing.

In dotA, using your hero to absorb enemy damage.

Effective when pushing, a tanker can absorb large amounts of damage while the rest of the team can focus on killing the enemy heroes.

In reference to Magic: The Gathering gameplay. tanking is the act of "going into the tank" coming from 'think tank'. a player "in the tank" is considering their next line of play.

Tanking is the act of going as fast as you can.

The meaning comes from riding mopeds, which are typicaly a slow form of transport. To get them to go faster, a rider can reduce their profile and improve their aerodynamics by laying flat on the fuel tank; "tanking it".

The process by which a person expels excrement into the toilet tank, instead of the bowl, resulting in a disgusting surprise when one flushes.

Usually in people with eating disorders, Tanking is drinking a large amount of water in a short time to gain weight before a weigh in.