knuckle

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: knuck=le

CIDE DICTIONARY

knuckle, n. [OE. knokel, knokil, AS. cuncel; akin to D. knokkel, OFries. knokele, knokle, G. knöchel, Sw. knoge, Dan. knokkel, G. knochen bone, and perh. to E. knock.].

•  The joint of a finger, particularly when made prominent by the closing of the fingers.  Davenant.  [1913 Webster]
•  The kneejoint, or middle joint, of either leg of a quadruped, especially of a calf; -- formerly used of the kneejoint of a human being.  [1913 Webster]

  "With weary knuckles on thy brim she kneeled sadly down."  [1913 Webster]
•  The joint of a plant.  Bacon.  [1913 Webster]
•  The joining parts of a hinge through which the pin or rivet passes; a knuckle joint.  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  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; -- called also knuckle duster, knuckles or brass knuckles.  [1913 Webster]

Knuckle joint (Mach.), a hinge joint, in which a projection with an eye, on one piece, enters a jaw between two corresponding projections with eyes, on another piece, and is retained by a pin which passes through the eyes and forms the pivot. -- Knuckle of veal (Cookery), the lower part of a leg of veal, from the line of the body to the knuckle.

knuckle, v. i. 

 To yield; to submit; -- used with down, to, or under.  [1913 Webster]

To knuckle to. (a) To submit to in a contest; to yield to. [Colloq.] See To knock under, under Knock, v. i. (b) To apply one's self vigorously or earnestly to; as, to knuckle to work. [Colloq.]

knuckle, v. t. 

 To beat with the knuckles; to pummel.  Horace Smith.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

knuckle, n. & v.
--n.
1 the bone at a finger-joint, esp. that adjoining the hand.
2 a a projection of the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped. b a joint of meat consisting of this with the adjoining parts, esp. of bacon or pork.
--v.tr. strike, press, or rub with the knuckles.

Idiom

go the knuckle Austral. sl. fight, punch. knuckle-bone
1 bone forming a knuckle.
2 the bone of a sheep or other animal corresponding to or resembling a knuckle.
3 a knuckle of meat.
knuckle-bones
1 animal knuckle-bones used in the game of jacks.
2 the game of jacks. knuckle down (often foll.
by to)
1 apply oneself seriously (to a task etc.).
2 (also knuckle under) give in; submit. knuckle sandwich sl. a punch in the mouth. rap on (or over) the knuckles see RAP(1).

Derivative

knuckly adj.

Etymology

ME knokel f. MLG, MDu. kn{ouml}kel, dimin. of knoke bone

THESAURUS

knuckle

Chateaubriand, ankle, articulation, blade roast, boundary, bow, breast, brisket, butt, capitulate, cave, cervix, chuck, chuck roast, clinch, clod, closure, cold cuts, connecting link, connecting rod, connection, coupling, defer, dovetail, elbow, embrace, filet mignon, flank, gliding joint, hinge, hinged joint, hip, interface, join, joining, joint, juncture, knee, knuckle under, link, loin, miter, mortise, neck, pivot, pivot joint, plate, plate piece, pot roast, rabbet, rack, rib roast, ribs, roast, rolled roast, round, rump, rump roast, saddle, scarf, seam, shank, short ribs, shoulder, shoulder clod, sirloin, stitch, submit, succumb, suture, symphysis, tenderloin, tie rod, toggle, toggle joint, union, weld, wrist

ROGET THESAURUS

knuckle

Angularity

N angularity, angularness, aduncity, angle, cusp, bend, fold, notch, fork, bifurcation, elbow, knee, knuckle, ankle, groin, crotch, crutch, crane, fluke, scythe, sickle, zigzag, kimbo, akimbo, corner, nook, recess, niche, oriel, coign, right angle, obliquity, angle of 45 degrees, miter, acute angle, obtuse angle, salient angle, reentering angle, spherical angle, angular measurement, angular elevation, angular distance, angular velocity, trigonometry, goniometry, altimetry, clinometer, graphometer, goniometer, theodolite, sextant, quadrant, dichotomy, triangle, trigon, wedge, rectangle, square, lozenge, diamond, rhomb, rhombus, quadrangle, quadrilateral, parallelogram, quadrature, polygon, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, oxygon, decagon, pyramid, cone, Platonic bodies, cube, rhomboid, tetrahedron, pentahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron, eicosahedron, prism, pyramid, parallelopiped, curb roof, gambrel roof, mansard roof, angular, bent, crooked, aduncous, uncinated, aquiline, jagged, serrated, falciform, falcated, furcated, forked, bifurcate, zigzag, furcular, hooked, dovetailed, knock kneed, crinkled, akimbo, kimbo, geniculated, oblique, fusiform, wedge-shaped, cuneiform, cuneate, multangular, oxygonal, triangular, trigonal, trilateral, quadrangular, quadrilateral, foursquare, rectangular, square, multilateral, polygonal, cubical, rhomboid, rhomboidal, pyramidal.