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knee

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knee

  [nee] noun, verb, kneed, knee⋅ing.
Use knee in a Sentence
–noun
1. Anatomy. the joint of the leg that allows for movement between the femur and tibia and is protected by the patella; the central area of the leg between the thigh and the lower leg.
2. Zoology. the corresponding joint or region in the hind leg of a quadruped; stifle.
3. a joint or region likened to this but not anatomically homologous with it, as the tarsal joint of a bird, the carpal joint in the forelimb of the horse or cow, etc.
4. the part of a garment covering the knee.
5. something resembling a bent knee, esp. a rigid or braced angle between two framing members.
6. Also called hip, shoulder. Furniture. the inward curve toward the top of a cabriole leg.
7. Building Trades.
a. the junction of the top and either of the uprights of a bent.
b. a curved member for reinforcing the junction of two pieces meeting at an angle.
8. Also called kneeler. a stone cut to follow a sharp return angle.
–verb (used with object)
9. to strike or touch with the knee.
10. to secure (a structure, as a bent) with a knee.
–verb (used without object)
11. Obsolete. to go down on the knees; kneel.
—Idioms
12. bring someone to his or her knees, to force someone into submission or compliance.
13. cut (someone) off at the knees, to squelch or humiliate (a person) suddenly and thoroughly: The speaker cut the heckler off at the knees.
14. on one's or its knees,
a. in a supplicatory position or manner: I came to him on my knees for the money.
b. in a desperate or declining condition: The country's economy is on its knees.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME cneo, OE cnēo(w); c. G, D knie, ON knē, Goth kniu, L genu, Gk góny, Skt jānu knee
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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knee   (nē)   
n.  

    1. The joint between the thigh and the lower leg, formed by the articulation of the femur and the tibia and covered anteriorly by the patella.

    2. The region of the leg that encloses and supports this joint.

  2. An analogous joint or part of a leg of a quadruped vertebrate.

  3. Something resembling the human knee, such as a bent piece of pipe.

  4. The part of a garment, as of trousers, that covers the knee.

  5. An abrupt woody projection arising from the roots of some swamp-growing trees: cypress knees.

tr.v.   kneed, knee·ing, knees
To strike with the knee.

[Middle English, from Old English cnēo; see genu-1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

knee 
O.E. cneo, cneow "knee," from P.Gmc. *knewan (cf. O.N. kne, O.Fris. kni, M.Du. cnie, O.H.G. kniu), from PIE base *g(e)neu- (cf. Skt. janu, Avestan znum, Hittite genu "knee;" Gk. gony "knee," gonia "corner, angle;" L. genu "knee"). The verb meaning "to strike with the knee" is first recorded 1896. Phrase knee-high to a grasshopper first recorded 1851 (earliest form was knee-high to a toad, 1814). Knee-deep is from 1535. Knee-jerk (the patellar reflex) is a neurological phenomenon discovered and named 1876; the figurative use appeared soon after the phrase was coined. Knee-slapper "funny joke" is from 1966.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: knee
Pronunciation: 'nE
Function: noun
1 a : a joint in the middle part of the human leg that is the articulation between the femur,tibia, and patella called also knee joint b : the part of the leg that includes this joint
2 a : the joint in the hind leg of a 4-footed vertebrate thatcorresponds to the human knee b : the carpal joint of the foreleg of a 4-footed vertebrate —kneed /'nEd/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

knee (nē)
n.

  1. The joint between the thigh and the lower leg, formed by the articulation of the femur and the tibia and covered anteriorly by the patella.

  2. The region of the leg that encloses and supports this joint.

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

knee

In addition to the idiom beginning with knee, also see bring to one's knees; on bended knee.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

knee

hinge joint that is formed by the meeting of the thigh bone (femur) and the larger bone (tibia) of the lower leg. The knee is the largest joint in the body and has to sustain the greatest stresses, since it supports the entire weight of the body above it. Consequently, the rounded ends, or condyles, of the femur and tibia that meet at the knee are massive. The rounded ends of the tibia move forward and backward on the corresponding ends of the femur; the kneecap, or patella, rests upon the ends of the femur and serves to prevent the tibia from moving too far forward when the leg is bent. The articulating (meeting) surfaces of the femur and tibia condyles are very smooth and are separated by a slight gap. The femur and the tibia are held together at the joint by a complex system of ligaments that run from the condyles of one bone to the condyles of the other. The two bones' possible contact with each other is cushioned by a synovial membrane and by layers of cartilage on the surface of each condyle. The entire knee joint, including the kneecap, is enveloped in a capsular apparatus that is large enough to allow for the movement of the tibia and also allows the kneecap to swing up and down freely on the front surface of the femur.

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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