knee
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English kne, from Old English cnēo, from Proto-Germanic *knewą (compare Low German Knee, Dutch knie, German Knie, Danish knæ, Swedish knä), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéwo-, a thematic derivative of Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu. Compare Hittite 𒄀𒉡 (genu), Latin genū, Tocharian A kanweṃ (dual), Tocharian B kenī, Ancient Greek γόνυ (góny, “knee”), γωνία (gōnía, “corner, angle”), Old Armenian ծունր (cunr), Avestan 𐬲𐬥𐬎𐬨 (žnum), Sanskrit जानु (jānu).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
- In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
- Penny was wearing a miniskirt, so she skinned her exposed knees when she fell.
- In the horse and allied animals, the carpal joint, corresponding to the wrist in humans.
- The part of a garment that covers the knee.
- (shipbuilding) A piece of timber or metal formed with an angle somewhat in the shape of the human knee when bent.
- 1980, Richard W. Unger, The Ship in the Medieval Economy 600-1600, page 41
- Deck beams were supported by hanging knees, triangular pieces of wood typically found underneath the timbers they are designed to support, but in this case found above them.
- 1980, Richard W. Unger, The Ship in the Medieval Economy 600-1600, page 41
- (archaic) An act of kneeling, especially to show respect or courtesy.
- circa 1605, William Shakepeare, Timon of Athens, Act III, scene iii, line 36
- Give them title, knee, and approbation.
- To make a knee.
- circa 1605, William Shakepeare, Timon of Athens, Act III, scene iii, line 36
- Any knee-shaped item or sharp angle in a line, "the knee of a graph", an inflection point.
- A blow made with the knee; a kneeing.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
joint in the middle of the leg and area around it
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act of kneeling
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blow made with the knee — see kneeing
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb[edit]
knee (third-person singular simple present knees, present participle kneeing, simple past and past participle kneed)
- (transitive, archaic) To kneel to.
- 1605: I could as well be brought / To knee his throne and, squire-like, pension beg / To keep base life afoot. — William Shakespeare, King Lear II.ii
- (transitive) To poke or strike with the knee.
Anagrams[edit]
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