noun, feminine/paˈlanka/plural: palancas
lever; leverage, influence; joystick; handle (on a toilet); diving board, springboard
Inherited from Vulgar Latin palanca, from Latin phalanga, from the accusative form of Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “log, trunk, body of soldiers, etc.”). Cf. Italian palanca, English plank, planch, as well as Spanish plancha, an etymological doublet.