elbow

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English elbowe, Old English el(n)boga; cognate with Middle Dutch elle(n)bōghe, Old High German el(l)inbogo (German Ellenbogen), Old Norse ǫl(n)bogi; literally, “forearm-bend.” See ell², bow¹

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To elbow

Collins

World English Dictionary

elbow (ˈɛlbəʊ)

—n
1.	the joint between the upper arm and the forearm, formed by the junction of the radius and ulna with the humerus
2.	the corresponding joint or bone of birds or mammals
3.	the part of a garment that covers the elbow
4.	something resembling an elbow, such as a sharp bend in a road or river
5.	at one's elbow within easy reach
6.	out at elbow, out at elbows ragged or impoverished
7.	up to the elbows with, up to the elbows in busily occupied with; deeply immersed in

—vb
8.	(tr) to reject; dismiss. Also: give the elbow
9.	to make (one's way) by shoving, jostling, etc
10.	(tr) to knock or shove with or as if with the elbow

[Old English elnboga; see ell², bow²; related to Old Norse olbogi, Old High German elinbogo]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

elbow

O.E. elnboga, from ell "length of the forearm" + boga "bow, arch," from W.Gmc. *alinobogan, from P.Gmc. *elino-bugon, lit. "bend of the forearm." Second element related to O.E. bugan "to bend;" first element from *alina "arm," from PIE *el- "elbow, forearm" (see ell). The verb

meaning "thrust with the elbow" is from 1605; fig. sense is from 1863. Phrase elbow grease "hard rubbing" is attested from 1672, from jocular sense of "the best substance for polishing furniture."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

elbow el·bow (ěl'bō')
n.

The joint or bend of the arm between the forearm and the upper arm. Also called cubitus.
The bony outer projection of this joint.
Something having a bend or an angle similar to an elbow.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

elbow

In addition to the idioms beginning with elbow, also see at someone's elbow; crook one's elbow; out at the elbows; rub elbows with.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

elbow

in human anatomy, hinge joint formed by the meeting of the humerus (bone of the upper arm) and the radius and ulna (bones of the forearm). The elbow allows the bending and extension of the forearm, and it also allows the rotational movements of the radius and ulna that enable the palm of the hand to be turned upward or downward

Learn more about elbow with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences

Throwing awkwardly on his return, he soon found that his elbow and shoulder

were aching, too.

Victims were sometimes given a choice: they could have a hand cut off at the

wrist, or at the elbow.

He sits with his elbow on the defense table and his face resting on his hand.

Run conduit to the box using an elbow to make the turn.