KNUCKLE

Knuckle

The knuckles are the joints of the fingers which are brought into prominence when the hand is clenched and a fist is made. The word is cognate to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as the Dutch "Knokkel" or German "Knöchel", i.e., Knöchlein, the diminutive of the German word for bone . Anatomically, it is said that the knuckles consist of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of the finger. The knuckles at the base of the fingers may be referred to as the 1st or major knuckles while the knuckles at the midfinger are known as the 2nd and 3rd, or minor, knuckles. However, the ordinal terms are used ...

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knuckle

Noun

  1. Any of the joints between the phalanges of the fingers.
  2. A mechanical joint.
  3. A cut of meat.
  4. The curved part of the cushion at the entrance to the pockets on a cue sports table.
  5. The kneejoint of a quadruped, especially of a calf; formerly used of the kneejoint of a human being.
  6. The joint of a plant.
  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

Verb

  1. To apply pressure, or rub or massage with one's knuckles.
    He knuckled the sleep from his eyes.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: knuckle
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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