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joint

[joint]
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noun
  1. the place at which two things, or separate parts of one thing, are joined or united, either rigidly or in such a way as to permit motion; juncture.
  2. a connection between pieces of wood, metal, or the like, often reinforced with nails, screws, or glue.
  3. Anatomy, Zoology.
    1. the movable or fixed place or part where two bones or elements of a skeleton join.
    2. the form or structure of such a part, as a ball-and-socket, hinge, pivot, etc.
  4. Chiefly British. one of the large portions into which a section of meat is divided by a butcher, as the shoulder or leg, especially as served at a dining table.
  5. Slang. Also called jay2. a marijuana cigarette.
  6. Slang.
    1. a dirty, cheap, or disreputable place of public accommodation or entertainment, especially a restaurant or nightclub.
    2. a place or establishment, as a hotel, restaurant, etc.: We stayed in a very classy joint near the ocean.
  7. Biology.
    1. a part, especially of a plant, insect, etc., connected with another part by an articulation, node, or the like.
    2. a portion between two articulations, nodes, or the like.
  8. Botany. the part of a stem from which a branch or leaf grows; node.
  9. Geology. a fracture plane in rocks, generally at right angles to the bedding of sedimentary rocks and variously oriented in igneous and metamorphic rocks, commonly arranged in two or more sets of parallel intersecting systems.
  10. Mathematics. knot1(def 12).
  11. the joint, Slang. prison: He got out of the joint just before Christmas.
  12. Slang: Vulgar. penis.
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adjective
  1. shared by or common to two or more: a joint obligation.
  2. undertaken or produced by two or more in conjunction or in common: a joint reply; a joint effort.
  3. sharing or acting in common: joint members of a committee.
  4. joined or associated, as in relation, interest, or action: joint owners.
  5. Law. joined together in obligation or ownership: joint heirs.
  6. of or relating to both branches of a bicameral legislature.
  7. pertaining to or noting diplomatic action in which two or more governments are formally united.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to unite by a joint or joints.
  2. to form or provide with a joint or joints.
  3. to cut (a fowl, piece of meat, etc.) at the joint; divide at a joint; separate into pieces at the joints: to joint a chicken.
  4. Carpentry.
    1. to prepare (a board or the like) for fitting in a joint.
    2. to true the bottom of (a wooden plane body) to allow even movement along the surface of the work.
  5. to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform height.
  6. Masonry. to finish (a mortar joint), as by striking.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to fit together by or as if by joints: The cinder blocks jointed neatly.
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Idioms
  1. out of joint,
    1. dislocated, as a bone.
    2. in an unfavorable state; inauspicious: The time is out of joint.
    3. out of keeping; inappropriate: Such behavior seems wholly out of joint with their fine upbringing.
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Origin of joint

1250–1300; 1900–05 for def 6; Middle English < Old French joint, jointe < Latin junctum, juncta, neuter and feminine of junctus (past participle of jungere “to join”), equivalent to jung- join + -tus past participle suffix
Related formssub·joint, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for joint on Thesaurus.com
14. united, combined, collaborative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for joint

joint

noun
  1. a junction of two or more parts or objects
  2. the part or space between two such junctions
  3. anatomy the junction between two or more bones, usually formed of connective tissue and cartilage
  4. the point of connection between movable parts in invertebrates, esp insects and other arthropodsRelated adjective: articular
  5. the part of a plant stem from which a branch or leaf grows
  6. one of the parts into which a carcass of meat is cut by the butcher, esp for roasting
  7. geology a crack in a rock along which no displacement has occurred
  8. slang
    1. a disreputable establishment, such as a bar or nightclub
    2. often facetiousa dwelling or meeting place
  9. slang a cannabis cigarette
  10. out of joint
    1. dislocated
    2. out of order or disorganized
  11. put someone's nose out of joint See nose (def. 18)
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adjective
  1. shared by or belonging to two or morejoint property
  2. created by combined effort
  3. sharing with others or with one anotherjoint rulers
  4. law (of persons) combined in ownership or obligation; regarded as a single entity in law
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verb (tr)
  1. to provide with or fasten by a joint or joints
  2. to plane the edge of (a board, etc) into the correct shape for a joint
  3. to cut or divide (meat, fowl, etc) into joints or at a joint
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Derived Formsjointly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for joint

n.

late 13c., "a part of a body where two bones meet and move in contact with one another," from Old French joint "joint of the body" (12c.), from Latin iunctus "united, connected, associated," past participle of iungere "join" (see jugular). Related: Joints. Slang meaning of "place, building, establishment" (especially one where persons meet for shady activities) first recorded 1877, American English, from an earlier Anglo-Irish sense (1821), perhaps on the notion of a side-room, one "joined" to a main room. The original U.S. sense was especially of "an opium-smoking den."

Meaning "marijuana cigarette" (1938) is perhaps from notion of something often smoked in common, but there are other possibilities; earlier joint in drug slang meant "hypodermic outfit" (1935). Meaning "prison" is attested from 1953 but probably is older. Out of joint in the figurative sense is from early 15c. (literally, of bone displacement, late 14c.).

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adj.

early 15c., "united," from Old French jointiz (adj.) and joint, literally "joined," past participle of joindre (see join (v.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
joint in Medicine

joint

(joint)
n.
  1. A point of articulation between two or more bones, especially such a connection that allows motion.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
joint in Science

joint

[joint]
  1. Anatomy A usually movable body part in which adjacent bones are joined by ligaments and other fibrous tissues. See also ball-and-socket joint hinge joint.
  2. Zoology A point in the exoskeleton of an invertebrate at which movable parts join, as along the leg of an arthropod.
  3. Botany A point on a plant stem from which a leaf or branch grows.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with joint

joint

see nose out of joint; out of joint.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.