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knuckle

[nuhk-uh l]
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noun
  1. a joint of a finger, especially one of the articulations of a metacarpal with a phalanx.
  2. the rounded prominence of such a joint when the finger is bent.
  3. a joint of meat, consisting of the parts about the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped.
  4. an angle or protrusion at the intersection of two members or surfaces, as in the timbers of a ship or in a roof.
  5. brass knuckles.
  6. a cylindrical projecting part on a hinge, through which an axis or pin passes; the joint of a hinge.
  7. (in a wire mesh) a bend in a wire crossing another wire.
  8. (on a chair arm) one of the ridges left at the front end by longitudinal flutes carved to accommodate the fingers.
  9. Nautical. a pronounced edge formed by a change in the form of the shell of a hull.
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verb (used with object), knuck·led, knuck·ling.
  1. to rub or press with the knuckles.
  2. Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.
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Verb Phrases
  1. knuckle down,
    1. to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
    2. Also knuckle under.to submit; yield.
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Origin of knuckle

1325–75; Middle English knokel (akin to Dutch kneukel, German Knöchel), diminutive of a word represented by Dutch knok, German Knochen bone; see -le
Related formsknuck·ly, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for knuckle

knuckle

noun
  1. a joint of a finger, esp that connecting a finger to the hand
  2. a joint of veal, pork, etc, consisting of the part of the leg below the knee joint, often used in making stews or stock
  3. the cylindrical portion of a hinge through which the pin passes
  4. an angle joint between two members of a structure
  5. near the knuckle informal approaching indecency
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verb
  1. (tr) to rub or press with the knuckles
  2. (intr) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble
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See also knuckle down, knuckle under
Derived Formsknuckly, adjective

Word Origin

C14: related to Middle High German knöchel, Middle Low German knoke bone, Dutch knok
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 knuckle

n.

mid-14c., knokel "finger joint; any joint of the body, especially a knobby one; morbid lump or swelling;" common Germanic (cf. Middle Low German knökel, Middle Dutch cnockel, German knöchel), literally "little bone," a diminutive of Proto-Germanic root *knuck- "bone" (cf. German Knochen "bone).

As a verb from 1740, originally in the game of marbles. To knuckle down "apply oneself earnestly" is 1864 in American English, extended from marbles (putting a knuckle on the ground in assuming the hand position preliminary to shooting); to knuckle under "submit, give in" is first recorded 1740, supposedly from the former more general sense of "knuckle" and here meaning "knee," hence "to kneel." The face-busting knuckle-duster is from 1858 (a duster was a type of protective coat worn by workmen).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
knuckle in Medicine

knuckle

(nŭk′əl)
n.
  1. The prominence of the dorsal aspect of a joint of a finger, especially of one of the joints that connect the fingers to the hand.
  2. A rounded protuberance formed by the bones in a joint.
  3. A kink or loop of intestine, as in a hernia.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with knuckle

knuckle

In addition to the idioms beginning with knuckle

  • knuckle down
  • knuckle under

also see:

  • rap someone's knuckles
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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.