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A crank is a bent portion of an axle, or shaft, or an arm keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft, by which motion is imparted to or received from it; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. Familiar examples of a crank for manual use include the crank on a manual pencil sharpener and the crankset that drives a bicycle via the pedals.