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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

knuckle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈnʌkəl/
  • nŭkˈ-əl
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English knokel (“finger joint”), from Old English cnucel (“the juncture of two bones; knuckle; joint”), from Proto-West Germanic *knukil, from Proto-Germanic *knukilaz (“knuckle, knot, bump”), as *knukô (“bone, joint”) + *-ilaz (diminutive suffix). Cognate with Dutch knokkel (“knuckle”), Low German Knökel (“knuckle”), German Knöchel (“ankle, knuckle”), Old Norse knykill. More at knock.

Meanings

  1. Any of the joints between the bones of the fingers.
  2. (broadly) A mechanical joint.
  3. The curved part of the cushion at the entrance to the pockets on a cue sports table.
  4. The kneejoint of a quadruped, especially of a calf; formerly, the kneejoint of a human being.
    • With wearie knockles on thy brim she kneeled sadly downe 1567, Ovid, “(please specify the book number or chapter)”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC:
  5. A cut of meat of various kinds.
    • Beef knuckle is from the knee joint. Pork knuckle, or ham hock, is from the joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot of a pig, where the foot was attached to the leg.
  6. (obsolete) The joint of a plant.
    • In the West Indies there are found, even in sandy deserts and very dry places, large canes, which at every joint or knuckle yield a good supply of fresh water 1623, Francis Bacon, The History of Dense and Rare:
  7. A convex portion of a vessel's figure where a sudden change of shape occurs, as in a canal boat, where a nearly vertical side joins a nearly flat bottom.
  8. A contrivance, usually of brass or iron, and furnished with points, worn to protect the hand, to add force to a blow, and to disfigure the person struck; a knuckle duster.
    • brass knuckles
  9. The rounded point where a flat changes to a slope on a piste.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
knuckles Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

knuckle children (With this term at the beginning) · knucklebone (With this term at the beginning) · bare-knuckle → bare-knuckle boxing (With this term at the end) · knuckle-dragging (With this term at the beginning) · brass knuckles (With this term at the end) · knucklecurve (With this term at the beginning) · knucklelike (With this term at the beginning) · pork knuckle (With this term at the end) · knuckleboom (With this term at the beginning) · pea-knuckle → pea-knuckle war (With this term at the end) · white-knuckle → white-knuckle ride (With this term at the end) · knuckle duster (With this term at the beginning) · interknuckle (With this term at the end) · moose knuckle (With this term at the end) · knucklesome (With this term at the beginning) · knucklewalker (With this term at the beginning) · knucklewalk (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle-kneed (With this term at the beginning) · Timmy Tough Knuckles (With this term at the end) · knuckle sandwich (With this term at the beginning) · knuckly (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle-walking (With this term at the beginning) · fuck-knuckle (With this term at the end) · five-knuckle shuffle (With this term at the end) · knuckleball (With this term at the beginning) · knuckleheaded (With this term at the beginning) · knuckler (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle-scraper (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle joint (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle-tat (With this term at the beginning) · knucklehead (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle bow (With this term at the beginning) · knuckle dragger (With this term at the beginning) · near the knuckle (With this term at the end) · knuckle-buster (With this term at the beginning)

Translations (88)

eo artiko (joint of the finger) · no knoke (joint of the finger) · ar أَشْجَع (joint of the finger) · pl przegub (a mechanical joint) · es ñudillo (joint of the finger) · ko 손가락 마디 (joint of the finger) · et nukk (joint of the finger) · izh ryssys (joint of the finger) · es nudillo (joint of the finger) · gl artello (joint of the finger) · arz عقلة (joint of the finger) · gl nortello (joint of the finger) · it nocca (joint of the finger) · fr articulation (joint of the finger) · hu csukló (a mechanical joint) · ar بُرْجُمَة (joint of the finger) · fy knokkel (joint of the finger) · za lwggyag (joint of the finger) · lng knohha (joint of the finger) · pt(joint of the finger) · pl kłykieć (joint of the finger) · hu bütyök (joint of the finger) · ca artell (joint of the finger) · mk глужд (joint of the finger) · bo མཛུབ་མོའི་ཚིགས (joint of the finger) · mi pona (joint of the finger) · da kno (joint of the finger) · fa بند انگشت (joint of the finger) · izh rysty (joint of the finger) · gl noelo (joint of the finger) · bg шарнир (a mechanical joint) · hu csülök (a cut of meat) · bg става на пръст (joint of the finger) · km ថ្នាំងដៃ (joint of the finger) · fi rystynen (joint of the finger) · enm knokel (joint of the finger) · cs kloub prstu (joint of the finger) · vi khớp (joint of the finger) · es artejo (joint of the finger) · gl coteno (joint of the finger) · la articulus digiti (joint of the finger) · af kneukel (joint of the finger) · yi קנעכל (joint of the finger) · de Fingerknöchel (joint of the finger) · hu ujjbütyök (joint of the finger) · tl buko (joint of the finger) · fr articulation du doigt (joint of the finger) · gmh knöchel (joint of the finger) · ru суста́в па́льца (joint of the finger) · kl saaneq (joint of the finger) · is kjúka (joint of the finger) · he מפרק האצבע (joint of the finger) · gd rùdan (joint of the finger) · ar مَفْصِل (joint of the finger) · lv pirksta locītava (joint of the finger) · cy migwrn (joint of the finger) · ang cnucel (joint of the finger) · om buusaa (joint of the finger) · ka თითის სახსარი (joint of the finger) · gl cotomelo (joint of the finger) · ga alt (joint of the finger) · gl cotobelo (joint of the finger) · ms buku (joint of the finger) · th ข้อนิ้ว (joint of the finger) · mi monamona (joint of the finger) · nl knokkel (joint of the finger) · gl nocello (joint of the finger) · ltg piersta lūcaveica (joint of the finger) · hu sertéscsülök (a cut of meat) · ja 指関節 (joint of the finger) · ota بوغوم (joint of the finger) · yue 指關節 /指关节 (joint of the finger) · sh zglob (joint of the finger) · hu ujjízület (joint of the finger) · grc κόνδυλος (joint of the finger) · hu lábszárhús (a cut of meat) · it giuntura (joint of the finger) · ko 손가락 관절 (joint of the finger) · sv knoge (joint of the finger) · fa مفصل (joint of the finger) · km ក្រញរ (joint of the finger) · fr jointure du doigt (joint of the finger) · fi rysty (joint of the finger) · bo སོར་མོའི་ཚིགས (joint of the finger) · ca nus (joint of the finger) · is hnúi (joint of the finger) · pt junta dos dedos (joint of the finger) · cmn 指關節 /指关节 (joint of the finger)

knuckle en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈnʌkəl/
  • nŭkˈ-əl
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English knokel (“finger joint”), from Old English cnucel (“the juncture of two bones; knuckle; joint”), from Proto-West Germanic *knukil, from Proto-Germanic *knukilaz (“knuckle, knot, bump”), as *knukô (“bone, joint”) + *-ilaz (diminutive suffix). Cognate with Dutch knokkel (“knuckle”), Low German Knökel (“knuckle”), German Knöchel (“ankle, knuckle”), Old Norse knykill. More at knock.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To apply pressure, or rub or massage with one's knuckles (noun sense 1).
    • She knuckled her eyes in disbelief.
    • He knuckled the sleep from his eyes.
  2. (slang, transitive) To strike or punch.
    • I could feel my big toe snap, but as he's gone down on his good knee and half swung round I knuckled him in the kidney as hard as I could hit. He's gone all the way down, so I dropped my 19 stone into the middle of his back. 2013, Lenny McLean, The Guv'nor:
    • Only then I knuckled him. He had to be taught a hard lesson. 2014, W. Smyth, Mama OM, page 415:
  3. (intransitive) To bend the fingers.
  4. (intransitive) To touch one's forehead as a mark of respect.
  5. (figuratively, intransitive) To yield.
  6. To land on the knuckle (noun sense 9) of a curve of a slope, after a jump off a ramp that precedes the slope.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
knuckles Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
knuckled Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
knuckled Tense=Past lexicographic
knuckling Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

knuckle under (Terms derived from “knuckle” as a verb) · knuckle down (Terms derived from “knuckle” as a verb) · knuckle up (Terms derived from “knuckle” as a verb) · knuckle to (Terms derived from “knuckle” as a verb)

Synonyms

knuckle under