knee
Meanings
- In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
- In the horse and allied animals, the carpal joint, corresponding to the wrist in humans.
- In birds:
- The tarsal joint, uniting the tarsometatarsus and the tibiotarsus (homologous to the human ankle).
- The joint uniting the tibiotarsus and the femur, typically hidden beneath plumage.
- The part of a garment that covers the knee.
- A piece of timber or metal formed with an angle somewhat in the shape of the human knee when bent.
- An act of kneeling, especially to show respect or courtesy.
- Any knee-shaped item or sharp angle in a line; an inflection point.
- A blow made with the knee; a kneeing.
- The presence of a parent etc., where a young child acquires early knowledge.
- To kneel to.
- To poke or strike with the knee.
- To move on the knees; to use the knees to move.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéw-der. Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéwom Proto-Germanic *knewą Proto-West Germanic *kneu Old English cnēo Middle English kne English knee Inherited from Middle English kne, from Old English cnēow, from Proto-West Germanic *kneu, from Proto-Germanic *knewą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéw-o-m, a thematic derivative of *ǵónu. See also West Frisian knibbel, Low German Knee, Knie, Dutch knie, German Knie, Danish knæ, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk kne, Swedish knä; also Hittite 𒄀𒉡 (genu), Latin genū, Tocharian A kanweṃ (dual), Tocharian B kenī, Ancient Greek γόνυ (gónu, “knee”), γωνία (gōnía, “corner, angle”), Welsh glin (“knee”), Old Armenian ծունր (cunr), Avestan 𐬲𐬥𐬎𐬨 (žnum), Sanskrit जानु (jā́nu). The obsolete plural kneen is from Middle English kneen, knen, kneon, kneuwene.