US /[ˈæ̝wbɐw]/ UK /ˈɛlbəʊ̯/
noun verb Freq #7715

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    The joint in the middle of your arm where it bends.

    He leaned on the table with his elbows.

  2. 2
    verb

    To push someone or make your way using your elbows.

    He elbowed his way through the crowd.

  3. 3
    noun

    A bend or angle in something, such as a pipe.

    Water was leaking from the elbow in the pipe.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · the joint in the middle of... elbow joint
Word family
Forms elbowedelbowingelbows
Derived forms all-elbowselbow-chairelbow-deepelbowednesselbowerelbowfulelbowgateelbowlesselbowlikeelbowroomelbowyout-at-elbow

Etymology

From Middle English elbowe (“elbow”), from Old English elboga, elnboga (“elbow”), from Proto-Germanic *alinabugô (“elbow”), equivalent to ell + bow. Cognate with Scots elbuck (“elbow”), Saterland Frisian Älbooge (“elbow”), Dutch elleboog (“elbow”), Low German Ellebage (“elbow”), German Ellbogen, Ellenbogen (“elbow”), Danish and Norwegian albue (“elbow”), Faroese albogi, Icelandic olbogi, olnbogi (“elbow”), Swedish armbåge (“elbow”).

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Topics

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