joint

[joint]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR joint ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a connection between pieces of wood, metal, or the like, often reinforced with nails, screws, or glue.

Anatomy, Zoology.

the movable or fixed place or part where two bones or elements of a skeleton join.
the form or structure of such a part, as a ball-and-socket, hinge, pivot, etc.

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.

Slang. Also called jay². a marijuana cigarette.

Slang.

a dirty, cheap, or disreputable place of public accommodation or entertainment, especially a restaurant or nightclub.
a place or establishment, as a hotel, restaurant, etc.: We stayed in a very classy joint near the ocean.

Biology.

a part, especially of a plant, insect, etc., connected with another part by an articulation, node, or the like.
a portion between two articulations, nodes, or the like.

Botany. the part of a stem from which a branch or leaf grows; node.

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.

Mathematics. knot¹(def 12).

the joint, Slang. prison: He got out of the joint just before Christmas.

Slang: Vulgar. penis.

adjective

shared by or common to two or more: a joint obligation.

undertaken or produced by two or more in conjunction or in common: a joint reply; a joint effort.

sharing or acting in common: joint members of a committee.

joined or associated, as in relation, interest, or action: joint owners.

Law. joined together in obligation or ownership: joint heirs.

of or relating to both branches of a bicameral legislature.

pertaining to or noting diplomatic action in which two or more governments are formally united.

verb (used with object)

to unite by a joint or joints.

to form or provide with a joint or joints.

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.

Carpentry.

to prepare (a board or the like) for fitting in a joint.
to true the bottom of (a wooden plane body) to allow even movement along the surface of the work.

to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform height.

Masonry. to finish (a mortar joint), as by striking.

verb (used without object)

to fit together by or as if by joints: The cinder blocks jointed neatly.

Idioms

out of joint,

dislocated, as a bone.
in an unfavorable state; inauspicious: The time is out of joint.
out of keeping; inappropriate: Such behavior seems wholly out of joint with their fine upbringing.

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 for joint

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for joint

Contemporary Examples of joint

I went to his joint once, back when I was first hanging out in New York, doing plays.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
On the northern side of the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea, there is a village called Kijong-dong (기정동).
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea
Rich Goldstein
December 30, 2014
You get vaccinated in the arm, you shouldn't have inflammation in the joint.
Uh Oh: Ebola Vaccine Trials Stop
Leigh Cowart
December 19, 2014
“We are proud of the work we have done for our country,” Mitchell and Jessen have said in a joint statement.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built
Michael Daly
December 12, 2014
This past May, NBC News and The Wall Street Journal conducted a joint poll on body art.
Masters of Alt Sex: SuicideGirls Hits Puberty and Wants to Invade Your TV Set
Marlow Stern
December 9, 2014

Historical Examples of joint

The joint is jagged in lamb, but smooth and round in mutton.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Then cut it off where the ends of the bones are attached to the joint.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
The joint of the 20-foot pieces should be directly in the center of the 10-foot piece.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
A warehouse of facts, with poet and liar in joint ownership.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
The imbecile baron then got out; his shoulder was out of joint.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for joint

joint

noun

a junction of two or more parts or objects

the part or space between two such junctions

anatomy the junction between two or more bones, usually formed of connective tissue and cartilage

the point of connection between movable parts in invertebrates, esp insects and other arthropodsRelated adjective: articular

the part of a plant stem from which a branch or leaf grows

one of the parts into which a carcass of meat is cut by the butcher, esp for roasting

geology a crack in a rock along which no displacement has occurred

slang

a disreputable establishment, such as a bar or nightclub
often facetiousa dwelling or meeting place

slang a cannabis cigarette

out of joint

dislocated
out of order or disorganized

put someone's nose out of joint See nose (def. 18)

adjective

shared by or belonging to two or morejoint property

created by combined effort

sharing with others or with one anotherjoint rulers

law (of persons) combined in ownership or obligation; regarded as a single entity in law

verb (tr)

to provide with or fasten by a joint or joints

to plane the edge of (a board, etc) into the correct shape for a joint

to cut or divide (meat, fowl, etc) into joints or at a joint

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

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.).

adj.

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

Medicine definitions for joint

joint

[joint]

n.

A point of articulation between two or more bones, especially such a connection that allows motion.

Science definitions for joint

joint

[joint]

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.

Zoology A point in the exoskeleton of an invertebrate at which movable parts join, as along the leg of an arthropod.

Botany A point on a plant stem from which a leaf or branch grows.

Idioms and Phrases with joint

joint

see nose out of joint; out of joint.

joint

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Idioms

Origin of joint

Synonyms for joint

Examples from the Web for joint

Contemporary Examples of joint

Historical Examples of joint

joint

noun

adjective

verb (tr)

joint

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joint

joint