knuckle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   one of the joints of a finger, especially when the hand is closed

   He scraped a knuckle on the rough stone.

2. 2
   verb

   to press or rub with the knuckles

   She knuckled the sleep from her eyes.

Multiword verbs with knuckle

• knuckle under Phrasal verb C2

  to give in reluctantly to pressure or authority

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Knuckle arose in Middle English for the rounded shape made by a bent joint such as an elbow or knee, but its application later narrowed to the finger joints. It may ultimately be related to the Old English word knee.

From Middle English knokel, from Old English cnucel, 'knuckle, joint'.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary