Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Knuckle |
KnuckleNoun1. A joint of a finger when the fist is closed. Verb1. Press or rub with the knuckles. 2. Shoot a marble while keeping one's knuckles on the ground. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "knuckle" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1747. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Food & Agriculture | Abrupt change in direction of plating. Source: European Union. (references) |
| Part of the ham. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Mining | The place on an incline where there is a sudden change in grade. The topof a grade or hill on a track over which mine cars are hauled. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: KnuckleSynonyms: knuckle joint (n), metacarpophalangeal joint (n). (additional references) |
| Synonyms by domain: knuckled (european union), knuckling (european union). |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Angularity | Elbow, knee, knuckle, ankle, groin, crotch, crutch, crane, fluke, scythe, sickle, zigzag, kimbo, akimbo. |
Arms | Club, mace, truncheon, staff, bludgeon, cudgel, life preserver, shillelah, sprig; hand staff, quarter staff; bat, cane, stick, knuckle duster; billy, blackjack, sandbag, waddy. |
Submission | Surrender, surrender at discretion; cede, capitulate, come to terms, retreat, beat a retreat; draw in one's horns; (humility); give way, give round, give in, give up; cave in; suffer judgment by default; bend, bend to one's yoke, bend before the storm; reel back; bend down, knuckle down, knuckle to, knuckle under; knock under. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Knuckle |
| English words defined with "knuckle": Fork head ♦ Knuckle of veal, Knuckled, Knuckling ♦ osso buco ♦ Rule joint ♦ Spade handle ♦ To knuckle to. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "knuckle": BAND-AND-CUFF CUTTER ♦ COIL SHAPER, coil spreader ♦ Knock Under, knuckle man, KNUCKLES ♦ TO KNUCKLE ONE'S WIPE. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "knuckle": Tassel. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Alpha Velveeta Knuckle Underwear, you are cleared for take-off (Hot Shots!; writing credit: Jim Abrahams; Pat Proft) It's knuckle puck time (D2: The Mighty Ducks; writing credit: Steven Brill) I've been downstairs for an hour entertaining some kid from Pig's Knuckle, Arkansas (Animal House; writing credit: Harold Ramis; Douglas Kenney) | |
Movie/TV Titles | 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995) Knuckle (1989) Hard Knuckle (1987) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| "Knuckle" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 73.58% of the time. "Knuckle" is used about 106 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 73.58% | 78 | 37,656 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 19.81% | 21 | 76,261 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 6.6% | 7 | 133,076 |
| Total | 100.00% | 106 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "knuckle": down on the knuckle ♦ knuckle area ♦ knuckle down ♦ knuckle down to ♦ knuckle duster ♦ knuckle joint ♦ Knuckle of veal ♦ knuckle under ♦ knuckle under to ♦ near the knuckle ♦ To knuckle to. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "knuckle": knuckle-biting, knuckle-blow, knuckle-bone, knuckle-bones, knuckle-cracking, knuckle-duster, knuckle-dusters, knuckle-rapping, knuckle-shapes, knuckle-swollen, knuckle-walking. | |
Ending with "knuckle": bare-knuckle, white-knuckle. | |
Containing "knuckle": white-knuckle-ride. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "knuckle"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | nyjë (article, articulation, bend, center, hinge, hitch, hub, joint, knot, knuckle joint, knurl, node, nodular, nodus), nyell (ankle, knot), noçkë (ankle, nose, Snoot, snout, trunk), grusht hekuri (knuckle duster, knuckles), dorezë hekuri. (various references) | |
Arabic | مفصل الأصبع, محور مفصلي, برجمة. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | става на пръст (knuckle joint, phalange, phalanx), удрям със ставите на пръстите, трия със ставите на пръстите, шарнирно съединение (knuckle joint, swing joint, swivel), шарнир (hinge, joint, knuckle joint, link), панта (hinge, hobo, tramp, vagabond), джолан. (various references) | |
Chinese | 指關節 , 指关节 (knuckles). (various references) | |
Czech | kotník (ankle), koleno (bend, elbow, knee). (various references) | |
Danish | knæklinie, knæk (bow, elbow), skank (front leg, knuckle of pork, stank). (various references) | |
Dutch | knik (break, buckle, buckling, crease, defect, fraction, kink, salient point), schenkel (crura, crus, oyster, pendant, span, thigh). (various references) | |
Farsi | مشت زدن (Box, Fist), قوزک پایاپس زانوی چهارپایان , قرحه روده , تن دردادن به (Suffer), تسلیم شدن (Abandon, Acquiesce, Capitulate, Defer, Givein, Obey, Quit, Submit, Succumb, Surrender, Vouchsafe), بندانگشت (Phalange, Phalanx), برامدگی یاگره گیاه . (various references) | |
Finnish | taite (fold), rystynen, rysty, potka (shin). (various references) | |
French | tranche grasse sans le plat, pied avant (knuckle of pork), jointure de doigt, jarret (back of the knee), jambonneau (knuckle of ham, knuckle of pork), jambon de devant (knuckle of pork), coude (knee), articulation, angle de voûte, angle. (various references) | |
German | knöchel (ankle, ankles, bone, knuckles). (various references) | |
Greek | κόνδυλοσ (fist, tuber), κότσι-μικρό ζαμπόν, στρογγυλό χωρίς τον έξω πλατύ, άρθρωση των δάκτυλων, άρθρωση δάκτυλου, ακμή (acme, acne, heyday, point, prime, prosperity), ασυνέχεια γάστρας, ταρσός (tarsus). (various references) | |
Hebrew | ל"כ ע (buckle under, capitulate, give in, give up, give way to, knuckle under, resign, submit, succumb, surrender, throw in ones hand, yield), א'רופן (boxer, fist-fighter, knuckle duster, pugilist, puncher), א'רופית (knuckle duster). (various references) | |
Hungarian | kézbütyök, ujjperec (knuckle-bone, phalanges, phalanx), ujjperc (joint, knuckle-bone, phalanges, phalanx), ujjizület (knuckle-joint), lábszárhús csonttal (knuckle-bone), csuklóspánt lyuka, csukló (joint, juncture, knuckle-joint, link, pivot, wrist). (various references) | |
Italian | articolazione (articulation, joint). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 節 (joint, melody, tune), 節 (joint, knob, knot, melody, nautical mile per hour, node, occasion, point, section, time, tone, tune), ナイル鰐 (being interested only in the here and now without any regard for the future, knapsack, knuckle ball, knuckle four, knuckle part, NASA, NASA fashion, NASDAQ, NASTAR ski, national, national ad, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, national atlas, national bank, national brand, National Center of Trade Unions, national chain, national character, national consensus, national convention, national costume, national game, national holiday, national identity, national interest, National League, national minimum, national park, national prestige, national product, national project, national security, National Standard Race ski, National Trust, nationalism, nationalist, nationality, nationalization, Nationalsozialist, NATO, Natrium lamp, natural, natural cheese, natural color, natural foods, natural grip, natural science, natural selection, natural turn, natural wave, naturalism, naturalist, naturalistic, naturalization, naturalize, Nazi, Nazism, Nile crocodile, nine, no, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, nothing, now, now-now-ism, nugget, nut, nuts, nylon, sodium, trendy, up-to-date), 指の節 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ナックル (knuckle ball), ふし (eternal life, father and child, gallnut, immortality, joint, melody, tune), ゆびのふし. (various references) | |
Korean | 너클 (knuckles). (various references) | |
Manx | uddane. (various references) | |
Norwegian | knoke. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | uckleknay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | aresta viva (flanged finish, overpress). (various references) | |
Romanian | lovi cu degetul, cot (bend, crack, crook, cubit, curvature, curve, elbow, Ell, knee, loop, meander, sweep, turn, turning, twist, winding), clichet de cuplare, articulaţie (articulation, joint, pivot), încheieturã (butt, joggle, joint, meeting, socket). (various references) | |
Russian | сустав пальца (knuckle joint), шарнир (articulation, hinge, joint, knuckle joint, link), кулак (bunch of fives, cam, claw, cog, dukes, fist, kulak, mauley, mitt, wobbler), ножка (leg, pedicel, pedicle, peduncle, stalk, stem, tootsy, tootsy-wootsy), запрягаться костяшка. (various references) | |
Scottish | rùdan (a knuckle), ùtan (a knuckle). (various references) | |
Sepedi | senoko. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | kolence, zglob (crank, joint), zglavak (joint, knuckle joint, knucklebone), čukalj (bunion). (various references) | |
Spanish | nudillo (joint, knucklebone). (various references) | |
Swedish | knoge. (various references) | |
Thai | เขก, ข้อนิ้ว. (various references) | |
Turkish | parmak eklemi (knucklejoint), eklem (arthrosis, articulation, joint, link, linkage), boğum (articulation, knob, knot, nodal, node), bilek eklemi. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | суглоб пальця, шарнір (articulation, hinge), гомілка (leg, shank, shin). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | khớp đốt ngón tay khuỷ. (various references) | |
Welsh | migwrn (ankle), cwgn (joing, knot). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "knuckle": knuckleball, knuckleballer, knuckleballers, knuckleballs, knucklebone, knucklebones, knuckled, knucklehead, knuckleheaded, knuckleheads, knuckler, knucklers, knuckles. (additional references) | |
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"Knuckle" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Kenickie, knuckley, knuckly, kruskal, kuckle, Nicklen, Nicklo, nucile, nuckel, Nuckell, nuckle, Nucula, nukkle, snuckle. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "knuckle" (pronounced nu"kul) |
| 4 | -u" k u l | buckle, chuckle, Huckle, suckle, muckle, ruckle. |
| 3 | -k u l | acoustical, aeronautical, agrochemical, allegorical, alphabetical, analytical, anarchical, anatomical, ankle, anthropological, antithetical, apolitical, archaeological, archeological, article, astrological, astronautical, astronomical, asymmetrical, atypical, autobiographical, barnacle, biblical, bicycle, bifocal, biochemical, biographical, biological, biomedical, biotechnological, botanical, brickle, cackle, categorical, cervical, chemical, Chronicle, chronological, circle, classical, clavicle, clerical, clinical, comical, commonsensical, conical, coracle, cortical, crackle, critical, cubicle, cuticle, cycle, cyclical, cylindrical, cynical, debacle, dermatological, diabolical, diacritical, dialectical, domical, ducal, ecclesiastical, ecological, economical, ecumenical, egotistical, electrical, electrochemical, electromechanical, elliptical, empirical, encircle, encyclical, epidemiological, epochal, equivocal, eschatological, ethical, ethnical, etymological, evangelical, fanatical, farcical, fecal, fickle, fiscal, focal, follicle, freckle, galenical, geographical, geological, geometrical, geophysical, geopolitical, gonococcal, grackle, grammatical, granduncle, graphical, gynecological, hackle, heckle, helical, heretical, heterocercal, hierarchical, historical, honeysuckle, hypercritical, hypocritical, hypothetical, hysterical, icicle, identical, ideological, illogical, immunological, impractical, Sokol, sparkle, speckle, spectacle, spherical, sprinkle, statistical, stereotypical, stickle, strategical, surgical, symmetrical, tabernacle, tackle, tactical, technical, technological, teleological, tentacle, testicle, theatrical, theological, inimical, ironical, jackal, lackadaisical, lexical, liturgical, local, logical, logistical, lyrical, magical, maniacal, mathematical, matriarchal, mechanical, medical, meikle, metallurgical, metaphorical, metaphysical, meteorological, methodical, methodological, metrical, Mickle, miracle, monocle, morphological, motorcycle, musical, mystical, mythical, mythological, nautical, neoclassical, neurological, nickel, Nickle, Nicol, nonelectrical, nonpolitical, nonsensical, nonsurgical, nontechnical, numerical, obstacle, ontological, optical, Oracle, oratorical, ornithological, paradoxical, particle, pathological, patriarchal, pedagogical, periodical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, pharmacological, philosophical, phonological, photochemical, physical, physiological, pickle, pinnacle, polemical, political, pontifical, popsicle, practical, preclinical, problematical, prototypical, psychical, psychological, pumpernickel, puritanical, quizzical, rabbinical, radical, radiological, ramshackle, rankle, rascal, receptacle, reciprocal, recycle, rhetorical, runkle, sabbatical, satirical, semiclassical, semicylindrical, semitropical, serological, shackle, shekel, sickle, skeptical, sociological, theoretical, tickle, tinkle, topical, toxicological, trickle, tricycle, tropical, twinkle, typical, typographical, tyrannical, umbilical, uncle, uncritical, uneconomical, unequivocal, unethical, unicycle, unshackle, untypical, vehicle, vertical, viatical, virological, vocal, whimsical, Winkle, wrinkle, zoological. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-k-k-l-n-u" | |
-2 letters: clunk, uncle. | |
-3 letters: clue, cuke, keck, kune, leku, luce, luck, lune, lunk, neck, neuk, nuke. | |
-4 letters: cel, cue, ecu, elk, ken, kue, lek, leu, uke. | |
-5 letters: el, en, ne, nu, un. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-k-k-l-n-u" | |
+1 letter: knuckled, knuckler, knuckles. | |
+2 letters: knucklers, knucklier. | |
+3 letters: knuckliest. | |
+4 letters: knuckleball, knucklebone, knucklehead. | |
+5 letters: knuckleballs, knucklebones, knuckleheads. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
