knuckle
knuckle Lexical Profile
knuckle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A joint of a finger, especially one of the prominent metacarpophalangeal joints at the base of the fingers when the hand is clenched into a fist.
"His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly during the storm."
The knee or hock joint of a quadruped (especially a pig, calf, or sheep), along with the adjacent meat, used as a cut of food in slow-cooked dishes and stocks.
"The traditional Bavarian dish features a slow-roasted pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and potato dumplings."
A cylindrical, interlocking tubular projection on a hinge through which the central pin passes to connect the two leaves.
"The carpenter carefully aligned the knuckles of the brass hinge before tapping the pin into place."
• verb
To press, rub, or strike something with the knuckles of the hand.
"The exhausted student knuckled his sleepy eyes and returned to reading the textbook."
To place the knuckles on the ground in order to shoot a marble, or to throw a baseball with minimal spin using the fingertips or knuckles.
"The veteran pitcher knuckled a slow, unpredictable pitch across the outside corner of the plate."
• Rhymes for knuckle
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English knokel, borrowed from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch knokel, a diminutive of knoke ('bone'), ultimately tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root shared with modern German Knochen ('bone').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.