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tongue-and-groove joint

[tuhng-uh n-groov]
noun Carpentry.
  1. a joint between two boards in which a raised area on the edge of one board fits into a corresponding groove in the edge of the other to produce a flush surface.
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Origin of tongue-and-groove joint

First recorded in 1875–80

groove

[groov]
noun
  1. a long, narrow cut or indentation in a surface, as the cut in a board to receive the tongue of another board (tongue-and-groove joint), a furrow, or a natural indentation on an organism.
  2. the track or channel of a phonograph record for the needle or stylus.
  3. a fixed routine: to get into a groove.
  4. Printing. the furrow at the bottom of a piece of type.
  5. Slang. an enjoyable time or experience.
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verb (used with object), grooved, groov·ing.
  1. to cut a groove in; furrow.
  2. Slang.
    1. to appreciate and enjoy.
    2. to please immensely.
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verb (used without object), grooved, groov·ing.
  1. Slang.
    1. to take great pleasure; enjoy oneself: He was grooving on the music.
    2. to get along or interact well.
  2. to fix in a groove.
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Idioms
  1. in the groove, Slang.
    1. in perfect functioning order.
    2. in the popular fashion; up-to-date: If you want to be in the groove this summer, you'll need a bikini.
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Origin of groove

1350–1400; Middle English grofe, groof mining shaft; cognate with Middle Dutch groeve, Dutch groef, German Grube pit, ditch; akin to grave1
Related formsgroove·less, adjectivegroove·like, adjectivegroov·er, nounre·groove, verb (used with object), re·grooved, re·groov·ing.

Synonyms

3. rut, habit, pattern.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for tongue-and-groove joint

tongue-and-groove joint

noun
  1. a joint made between two boards by means of a tongue along the edge of one board that fits into a groove along the edge of the other board
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groove

noun
  1. a long narrow channel or furrow, esp one cut into wood by a tool
  2. the spiral channel, usually V-shaped, in a gramophone recordSee also microgroove
  3. one of the spiral cuts in the bore of a gun
  4. anatomy any furrow or channel on a bodily structure or part; sulcus
  5. mountaineering a shallow fissure in a rock face or between two rock faces, forming an angle of more than 120°
  6. a settled existence, routine, etc, to which one is suited or accustomed, esp one from which it is difficult to escape
  7. slang an experience, event, etc, that is groovy
  8. in the groove
    1. jazzplaying well and apparently effortlessly, with a good beat, etc
    2. USfashionable
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verb
  1. (tr) to form or cut a groove in
  2. (intr) old-fashioned, slang to enjoy oneself or feel in rapport with one's surroundings
  3. (intr) jazz to play well, with a good beat, etc
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Derived Formsgrooveless, adjectivegroovelike, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from obsolete Dutch groeve, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German gruoba pit, Old Norse grof
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 tongue-and-groove joint

groove

n.

c.1400, "cave, mine, pit" (late 13c. in place names), from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse grod "pit," or from Middle Dutch groeve "furrow, ditch," both from Proto-Germanic *grobo (cf. Old Norse grof "brook, river bed," Old High German gruoba "ditch," Gothic groba "pit, cave," Old English græf "ditch"), related to grave (n.). Sense of "long, narrow channel or furrow" is 1650s. Meaning "spiral cut in a phonograph record" is from 1902. Figurative sense of "routine" is from 1842, often deprecatory at first, "a rut."

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groove

v.

1680s, "make a groove," from groove (n.). Slang sense is from late 1930s. Related: Grooved; grooving.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
tongue-and-groove joint in Medicine

groove

(grōōv)
n.
  1. A rut, groove, or narrow depression or channel in a surface.
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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 tongue-and-groove joint

groove

see in the groove.

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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.