shin

¹ American  

[shin] / ʃɪn /

noun

1. the front part of the leg from the knee to the ankle.

2. the lower part of the foreleg in cattle.

3. the shinbone or tibia, especially its sharp edge or front portion.

4. Chiefly British. a cut of beef similar to the U.S. shank, usually cut into small pieces for stewing.

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verb (used with or without object)

shinned, shinning

1. to climb by holding fast with the hands or arms and legs and drawing oneself up.

shin ² American  

[sheen, shin] / ʃin, ʃɪn /

noun

1. the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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shīn ³ American  

[sheen] / ʃin /

noun

1. the 13th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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Shin ⁴ American  

[shin, sheen] / ʃɪn, ʃin /

noun

Buddhism.

1. a Japanese offshoot of the Pure Land Sect, requiring only faith in Amida for salvation through his accumulated merit.

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shin ¹ British  

/ ʃɪn /

noun

1. the front part of the lower leg

2. the front edge of the tibia

3. a cut of beef, the lower foreleg

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verb

1. to climb (a pole, tree, etc) by gripping with the hands or arms and the legs and hauling oneself up

2. (tr) to kick (a person) in the shins

shin ² British  

/ ʃɪn /

noun

1. the 21st letter in the Hebrew alphabet (ש), transliterated as sh

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Etymology

Origin of shin¹

before 1000; Middle English shine, Old English scinu; cognate with Dutch scheen, German Schien ( bein )

Origin of shin²

1895–1900; < Hebrew shīn, akin to shēn tooth

Origin of shīn³

From Arabic

Origin of Shin⁴

1895–1900; < Japanese: literally, faith < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese zhēn truth

Example Sentences

That helped later in life when the professional-sports business dealt him the financial equivalent of a kick in the shins.

From The Wall Street Journal

He stood shin deep with a broom and grabber tool clearing a drain while his chief of staff captured the moment.

From The Wall Street Journal

They’re wearing shin plates engraved with illustrations of animals, and those skirts that Roman warriors used to wear.

From Literature

But he proves a skilled physical comic, tussling with his boots or recoiling from a kick in the shins from Lucky.

From The Wall Street Journal

The exasperation over a lost water bottle, the frustration of mismatched shin guards, the stress of ticking off a mental check-list when rushing out the door—I loved how ordinary these problems felt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• tibia