kneen.
/niː/, U.S. /ni/ I. The part of the limb, etc.
1.
a. The joint, or region about the joint, between the thigh and the lower leg; by extension, the part of the thigh of a sitting person over the knee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > leg > knee > [noun]
kneec825
knop14..
marrowbone1506
gigot1687
knapper1767
prayer-bones1877
bender1925
knobblies1953
the world > life > the body > structural parts > joint > joints > [noun] > of knee
kneec825
wrist?c1450
knee-joint1648
α.
β. OE Phoenix 514 Þonne on leoht cymeð ældum þisses in þa openan tid fæger ond gefealic fugles tacen, þonne anwald eal up astelleð of byrgenum, ban gegædrað, leomu lic somod, ond lifes gæst, fore Cristes cneo.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 4775 Cnes. & fet. & shannkess.c1275 XI Pains Hell 96 in Old Eng. Misc. 149 Þat stondeþ vp to heore kneow.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12685 Hes knes war bolnd sua þat he ne moght vnnethes ga.c1400 Trevisa's Higden (Rolls) V. 461 He wolde..lenye on his kneon [v.r. knees].1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) i. l. 323 On kneis he faucht.?a1500 Chester Pl. (E.E.T.S.) 403 Hym honour we and all men, devoutly kneling on our knen.1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 229 Sit on my knee Doll. View more context for this quotation1711–12 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 291 The queen has the gout in her knee.1800 W. Wordsworth Pet-lamb in Lyrical Ballads (ed. 2) II. 139 With one knee on the grass did the little maiden kneel.1825 H. Smith Gaieties & Gravities I. 139 Have children climb'd those knees, and kiss'd that face?1828 F. D. Hemans Graves of Household in Records of Woman (ed. 2) 303 Whose voices mingled as they pray'd, Around one parent knee.1858 T. P. Thompson Audi Alteram Partem (1859) II. lxxix. 36 One of the earliest stories learned at a mother's knee.c825 Vesp. Psalter cviii. 24 Cneow min geuntrumad sind fore festenne.
971 Blickl. Hom. 43 Hine besencton..æt his cneowa.
c1000 Ags. Ps. cviii. 24 Me synt cneowu swylce cwicu unhale.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 186 Beþe þonne þa fet & þa cnewu.
c1200 Vices & Virtues 51 He ðat alle cnewes to cnelið.
c1290 St. Michael 725 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 320 Þe kneuwene in eiþur eiȝe.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. v. 359 Clement the cobelere..leyde hym on his knowes.
b. A damaged condition of the knee. Cf. housemaid's knee at housemaid n. Compounds 2, tennis-knee (tennis n. Compounds 2).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > [noun] > disorders of leg
white leg1801
snow-shoe evil1809
sparganosis1822
milk leg1830
phlegmasia alba dolens1830
scissor leg1850
scelalgia1853
tennis-knee1901
intermittent claudication1909
knee1921
shin-cracker1928
shin-splint1930
panpygoptosis1938
shelter leg1940
phlegmasia cerulea dolens1950
1921 J. C. Jenkins in E. H. D. Sewell Rugby Football up to Date ix. 195 Unfortunately developed a ‘knee’ and had to retire in his prime.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. vii. [Aeolus] 124 Are you hurt? I'm in a hurry.—Knee, Lenehan said. He made a comic face and whined, rubbing his knee.
1971 I. Peebles Denis Compton x. 97 Denis, handicapped by his knee, was no longer able to get down the pitch to the slower bowlers.
2. In various phrases:
a. knee by knee, side by side and close together; knee to knee, = knee by knee; also, facing each other with the knees touching.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > near by [phrase] > close together
side by sidec1275
cheek by cheek?a1400
hand by hand?a1439
close1489
hand for hand1490
shoulder to shouldera1586
at (the) eye's end1628
knee to knee1760
corps à corps1890
1760 S. Cooper in Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 39 Another old woman sitting knee to knee with her companion.
1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere v, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 12 The body of my brother's son Stood by me knee to knee.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Vision of Sin in Poems (new ed.) II. 217 Sit thee down,..Cheek by jowl, and knee by knee.
1899 Daily News 27 June 5/7 Men were wedged tightly knee-to-knee as they rode at a gallop.
b. to offer or give a knee, to act as second in a pugilistic encounter, it being customary for a second to give a principal the support of his knee between the rounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > box [verb (intransitive)] > act as second
to offer or give a knee1847
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) v. 37 Everybody was anxious to have the honour of offering the conqueror a knee.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. v. 321 Tom, with..Martin to give him a knee, steps out on to the turf.
c. on the knees of the gods (Greek θεῶν ἐν γούνασι, Hom.), dependent on superhuman disposal, beyond human control.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > beyond human control [phrase]
on the knees of the gods1879
1879 S. H. Butcher & A. Lang tr. Homer Odyssey i. 9 Howbeit these things surely lie on the knees of the gods, whether he shall return or not.
1900 Daily News 17 Aug. 6/5 Such things are yet upon the knees of the gods.
d. across one's knee, (of someone, esp. a child) placed face-down on the knee(s) to be spanked.
ΚΠ
1866 Mrs. H. Wood Elster's Folly III. vii. 171 She put him across her knee, pulled off an old slipper she was wearing, and gave him a sound whipping with its fat sole.
1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin ix. 154 If yer don't stop it I'll put yer across my knee an' give yer wot for.
1936 ‘N. Blake’ Thou Shell of Death xiii. 230 Manny's the time I've had him across me knee—and Miss Judith, too—and belted them with a slipper.
1959 I. Fleming Goldfinger ix. 126 This one has got to go dead or I'll put you across my knee.
3. esp. In phrases having reference to kneeling or bowing in worship, supplication, or submission.
a. With governing preposition: on or upon the (one's) knee(s; to fall, go, kneel, †lie, †set oneself, †sit down on one's knees (†on knee(s), to bring one to his knees; see also aknee adv., fall v. 26a.
ΚΠ
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. iii. ix. §14 Þeh þe hie hiene meðigne on cneowum sittende metten.
OE Cynewulf Elene 1135 Heo on cneow sette leohte geleafan, lac weorðode, blissum hremig, þe hire brungen wæs gayrna to geace.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6627 Buȝhenn himm o cnewwe.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6467 Þeȝȝ..fellenn dun o cnewwess.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6458 He..feol an his cneowen [c1300 Otho cnowes].
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6330 Ȝe bidden for me on eower bare cneowen [c1300 Otho cnouwes].
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 286 Sche began merci to crie, Upon hire bare knes.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1017 Doun on knees wente euery maner wight.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. l On theyr knes desired to haue theyr liues saued.
1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 322 A minister of state is not spoke to but upon the Knee.
1800 I. Milner in M. Milner Life I. Milner (1842) xii. 204 In a very short time you may be on your knees to this very B[uonaparte].
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xx. 402 The Marshal reasoned: he implored: he went on his knees.
1887 Times (Weekly ed.) 4 Nov. 10/3 A very efficacious method of bringing a..troublesome class of offenders to their knees.
b. With governing vb.: to bend, bow, drop, †fold, put the (one's) knee; see also bow v.1 9c, bended adj.1
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or act of kneeling > kneel or assume kneeling posture [verb (intransitive)] > assume kneeling posture
to bend, bow, drop, fold, put the (one's) kneec950
kneec1000
to sit on one's kneesOE
to sit downa1450
to strike down1616
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 29 Cnew [c975 Rushw. Gosp. kneu] gebeged bifora him.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxvii. 29 Bigdon heora cneow beforan him.
a1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 191 To þe ich buwe and mine kneon ich beie.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xx. 36 His knees putt, he preiede with alle hem.
1567 Gude & Goldie B. (S.T.S.) 51 The kneis of my hart sall I bow.
1580 Sir P. Sidney tr. Psalmes David v. iii I..in Thy feare, knees of my heart will fold.
1611 Bible (King James) Prayer Manasses I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Richard II (1623) iv. i. 156 I hardly yet haue learn'd To insinuate, flatter, bowe, and bend my Knee [1608 limbes].
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 788 Will ye submit your necks, and chuse to bend The supple knee ? View more context for this quotation
1715 tr. Thomas à Kempis Christian's Exercise iii. vi. 116 When with Knees bended, thou entreatest for the Pardon of thy Sins.
1857 J. Keble On Eucharistical Adoration 3 If we kneel and bow the knees of our hearts to receive a blessing.
c. As the part of the limb used in kneeling or bowing; to owe a knee, to owe reverence or adoration; with cap and knee: see cap n.1 4h.
ΚΠ
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 39/2 I woulde neuer haue won the courtesye of mennes knees, with the losse of soo many heades.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 iv. iii. 70 The more and lesse came in with cap and knee . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) v. iii. 57 What's this? your knees to me? To your Corrected Sonne? View more context for this quotation
1640 E. Reynolds Treat. Passions xiii I cannot but think that..the reed and knees of those mocking and blasphemous Jews were so many drops of that full cup.
a1699 J. Kirkton Secret & True Hist. Church Scotl. (1817) 210 When they came to town they were so attended with salutations, caps, and knees.
4. A joint in an animal likened to, or regarded as corresponding in position or shape to, the human knee.
a. The carpal articulation of the foreleg of the horse, cow, cat, or other quadruped.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > knee or knee-joint
knee1626
wrista1836
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §45 A pottage of strong nourishment..made with the knees and sinews of beef, but long boiled.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Knee in the Manege, is the joint of the fore quarters, that joins the fore thigh to the shank.
1831 W. Youatt Horse xiii. 243 In examining a horse for purchase, the knees are very strictly scrutinized.
b. The tarsal articulation or heel of a bird.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > parts of or bird defined by > [noun] > legs > covering or parts of
kneec1450
wrist-jointa1836
ambiens1856
podotheca1864
c1450 Two Cookery-bks. 116 Lete a fesaunt blode in the mouth..& kutt a-wey..the legges by the kne.
1486 Bk. St. Albans B j The federis that bene at the Ioynte: at the hawkes kne thay stonde hangyng.
1893 A. Newton et al. Dict. Birds: Pt. II 498 Knee, a term commonly misapplied by many ornithological writers to the intertarsal (often called tibio-tarsal) joint.
c. The joint of an insect's leg between the femur and the tibia.
ΚΠ
1858 F. Smith Catal. Brit. Fossil Hymenoptera 111 Didineis lunicornis..Female..the legs simple, with the knees of the anterior femora..of a testaceous yellow.
5. The part of a garment covering the knee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > covering spec parts of body > other
breasta1486
thigh1533
leg1558
belly1600
instepc1615
knee1662
belly-piece1689
legging1738
wrist1803
bust1808
midriff1941
1662 S. Pepys Diary 12 June (1970) III. 106 I tried on my riding-cloth suit with close knees..I think they will be very convenient—if not too hot to wear any other open-knees after them.
1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & Widows I. x. 216 His coat and waistcoat off, and his knees unbuttoned.
1887 M. E. Braddon Like & Unlike I. iv. 107 There is always a new man coming to the front, with advanced theories upon the cutting of the knee.
1896 ‘Iota’ Quaker Grandmother 30 The very knees of your flannels won't flop and bag.
II. Something resembling the knee in position or shape.† 11. figurative. A degree of descent in a genealogy.
6.
a. Part of a hill, tree, etc., regarded as corresponding to the knee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > knee or crook
kneec1595
sweep1932
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill > [noun] > knee
kneec1595
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lxxii. 63 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 91 The woods, where enterlaced trees..Ioyne at the head, though distant at the knees.
a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1885) III. 4 The sydes, knees, and feete of those hills.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Talking Oak viii, in Poems (new ed.) II. 66 Hail, hidden to the knees in fern, Broad Oak of Sumner-chace!
b. A natural prominence, as a rock or crag. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > crag > [noun]
stonec825
knara1250
scar13..
craga1375
nipc1400
knag1552
knee1590
jag1831
man1897
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ix. sig. Iv All about old stockes and stubs of trees..Did hang vpon the ragged rocky knees.
7. A piece of timber having a natural angular bend, or artificially so bent; also a piece of metal of the same shape.
a. Shipbuilding and Nautical. A piece of timber naturally bent, used to secure parts of a ship together, esp. one with an angular bend used to connect the beams and the timbers; by extension, a bent piece of iron serving the same purpose; †formerly applied to any naturally grown bent timber used in shipbuilding. knee of the head, a cutwater: cf. head n.1 22.Hence carling-knee n. at carling n.1 3, cheek knee n. at cheek n. Compounds 2, dagger-knee n. at dagger n.1 Compounds 2, head knee n. at head n.1 Compounds 4, heel knee n. at heel n.1 and int. Compounds 2b, standard-knee n. at standard n., adj., and int. Compounds 2, sternpost-knee at stern-post n. c.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > timbers of hull > angular supporting timber
knee1337
hook1611
standardc1620
carling-knee1626
standing knee1726
dagger-knee1850
hanging knee1850
beam-knee1869
1337–9 in B. Sandahl Middle Eng. Sea Terms (1951) I. 71 Pro iij. lignis maeremij curuis vocatis knowes sic emptis et positis in naue predicta.
1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 293 Boltes of yron for Knees in the seid Ship.
1600 R. Hakluyt tr. in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 864 Carpenters to set knees into her, and any other tymbers appertaining to the strengthening of a shippe.
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 9 All the beames to be bound with two knees at each ende.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) The Cut-water of a Ship is also called the Knee of the Head.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Knees are either said to be lodging or hanging. The former are fixed horizontally... The latter are fixed vertically.
1878 A. H. Markham Great Frozen Sea i. 3 Extra iron knees were introduced in order more effectually to resist the enormous pressure of the ice.
b. Carpentry and Mechanics. A piece of timber or metal naturally or artificially shaped, so as to fit into an angle; also, the bend in such a piece, or one made by the junction of any two pieces.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > naturally or artificially bent wood
knee-timber1612
knee1679
cramble1788
crook1802
bent-wood1862
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > naturally or artificially bent wood > bend in
knee1679
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > piece of metal in other form
blank?1590
knee1825
larget1852
strand1876
core1892
undercloak1896
use1955
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. Explan. Terms 169 Knee, a peece of Timber growing angularly, or crooked.
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. viii. 147 Knees of the Principal Rafters, to be made all of one piece with the Principal Rafters.
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 146 When Rafters are cut with a Knee, these Furrings are pieces that go straight along with the Rafter from the top of the Knee to the Cornish.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 103 Two knees of cast-iron, to support the posts that the gates are fixed to.
c. spec. (a) An elbow-piece connecting parts in which the side plates are let into the pieces of timber and bolted thereto. (b) ‘A piece framed into and connecting the bench and runner of sled or sleigh’. (c) ‘An elbow or toggle-joint’ (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 1875).
8. Architecture. (See quots.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > parts of mouldings
mitre-bracket1725
nose1800
quirk1815
knee1823
keela1878
1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 201 A Knee, in a dog~legged and open-newelled stair-case, is the lower end of a hand-rail.
1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 991 Knee, a part of the back of a handrailing, of a convex form, being the reverse of a ramp, which..is concave.
1850 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 5) I. 279 Knee:..the projectura or projection of the architrave mouldings, at the ends of the lintel in the dressings of a door or window of classical architecture.
9. Botany.† a. An articulation or joint; esp. a bent joint in some grasses (cf. kneed adj. 1b, knee-sick). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [noun] > part of
bladec1450
grass root1474
bent1577
chat1601
grasstop1659
knee1678
locusta1707
straw1776
spikelet1793
strap1793
sheath-scale1796
spiket1796
stragule1821
scutellum1832
scobina1839
rachilla1842
chaff-scale1856
coleorhiza1866
hypoblast1882
lemma1906
1597 J. Gerard Herball i. 14 [Kneed grasse] is so called, bicause it hath ioints like as it were knees.
1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Knees, in the Art Botanick, are those Partitions, which in some Kinds of Plants are like Knees or Joynts.
1878 Folk-lore Rec. 1 221 (E.D.D.) Find a straw with nine knees.
b. A spur-like process on the roots of the bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum) and tupelo (Nyssa), rising above the water in which the tree grows: cf. cypress-knee n. at cypress n.1 Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > spur or stump of branch or bud
stubc1405
snag1577
brunt1623
skeg1625
stud1657
argot1693
spur1704
stump1707
wood-bud1763
nog1802
branch-bud1882
knee1889
knee-process1889
dard1925
1823 E. James Rocky Mtn. Exped. III. 178 The innumerable conic excrescences called knees, which spring up from the roots..give a gloomy and peculiar aspect to the scenery of those cypress swamps.
1826 T. Flint Recoll. Last Ten Years 262 The innumerable cypress ‘knees’, as they are called, resembling circular bee-hives, throwing their points above the waters.
1889 Science (U.S.) XIII. 176/2 Inquiries concerning the knees of the swamp cypress..led me to the supposition that these peculiar processes from the roots served in some manner to aerate the sap.
1889 Science (U.S.) XIII. 177/1 At this stage..if the crown be permanently wet, the knees [of Nyssa uniflora] become an extremely conspicuous feature.
10. Anatomy. (See quots.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > brain > parts of brain > [noun] > commissure > parts of corpus callosum
knee1840
splenium1845
splenial border1891
1840 G. V. Ellis Demonstr. Anat. 33 [In the brain] The part of the corpus callosum that bends is called the knee, and the prolonged portion the beak.
1881 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon Beak of corpus callosum, the recurved anterior termination of the corpus callosum of the brain beyond what is called the knee.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun] > a line of descent > degree in descent
kneec1000
greec1315
generationa1387
degreea1400
descent1538
descendancy1603
remove1741
family tree1752
c1000 Laws of Ethelred vi. c. 12 in Schmid Gesetze Ne geweorðe, þæt cristen man gewifige in vi. manna sib-fæce, on his agenum cynne, þæt is binnan feorðan cneowe.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 4691 Yde,..com of woden þe olde louerd, as in þe teþe kne.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 444 Lamech is at ðe sexte kne, Ðe seuende man after adam.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 9260 Who so wol se fro adam þe olde how mony knees to crist are tolde.
12. An abrupt obtuse or approximately right-angled bend in a graph between parts where the slope varies smoothly.
ΚΠ
1880 Proc. Royal Soc. 1879–80 30 513 An interval of constant stress of even five seconds produces a perceptible ‘knee’ in the curve.
1880 Proc. Royal Soc. 1879–80 30 514 We get a stepped curve, having a number of ‘knees’ upon it.
1904 Physical Rev. 19 114 On the rising curve there is seen to be a more or less well defined ‘knee’ where the relation of stress to strain undergoes a marked change. This ‘knee’ might be said to mark the elastic limit.
1926 R. W. Hutchinson First Course Wireless viii. 144 Consider now the parts of the curve where the bending is greatest, i.e. the ‘knees’.
1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. vii. 429 From the upper plane of maximum curvature, termed by Munk and Anderson the knee of the thermocline, to the lower plane of maximum (inverse) curvature.
1967 L. G. Lawrence Electronics in Oceanogr. iii. 56 The arrangement makes special use of the knowledge that the saturation ‘knee’ of a B-H loop of a given material can be modified by allowing the magnetism of the earth to contribute to the effective operating point of this knee.
Compounds
C1. General combinations.
a. † knee-stead n. Obsolete
knee-apron n.
ΚΠ
1885 Daily News 22 Jan. 3/3 A knee-apron and cape belonging to..the driver of the cab.
knee-band n.
ΚΠ
1744 H. Ettrick in Philos. Trans. 1740–41 (Royal Soc.) 41 565 The Leg is suspended by Bands, one of which is placed at the Ancle, from the Sides of which pass Two Strops, to join the inferior Knee-band.
knee-bath n.
ΚΠ
1822 J. M. Good Study Med. I. 381 A narrow tub for a knee-bath, just wide enough to hold the feet and reach the knees.
knee-bolt n.
ΚΠ
1874 S. J. P. Thearle Naval Archit. (new ed.) I. 36 The whole of the fastenings of the shelf, including the knee bolts.
knee-buckle n.
ΚΠ
1754 S. Carolina Gaz. 1 Jan. 4/3 To be sold…shoe and knee buckles, snuffers, gun hammers.
1761 Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. XLVIII. 96 To be sold by George Deblois..a great variety newest fashion shoe and knee buckles.
1772 Henley in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 62 135 His stock, shoe, and knee-buckles,..were all uninjured.
knee-cords n.
ΚΠ
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xiv. 139 It had long been his ambition to stand in a bar of his own, in a green coat, knee-cords, and tops.
knee-end n.
ΚΠ
1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding xv. 286 The knee-ends of the girder are connected with the bulkheads by double vertical angle-irons.
knee-giver n.
knee-grip n.
ΚΠ
1903 Westm. Gaz. 12 Feb. 2/4 The bridle-rein light in the hand, The knee-grip steady and sure.
1925 E. T. Brown Compl. Motor-cyclist 126 The non-essential accessories include a luggage grid, speedometer, leg-shields.., knee-grips, handle-bar gloves.
knee-height n.
ΚΠ
1850 H. Miller Scenes & Legends N. Scotl. (ed. 2) xxiii. 334 The white table..raised knee-height over the floor.
knee-labour n.
ΚΠ
1640 R. Brome Antipodes sig. L2 [stage direct.] She kneeles. Tis but so much knee-labour lost.
knee-line n.
knee-muscle n.
knee-pad n.
ΚΠ
1858 J. A. Warder Hedges & Evergreens 71 As it is easier to work on your knees, you will provide thick knee-pads for them.
1955 E. Pound Classic Anthol. i. 71 Saw I white knee-pads decent misery I'd know one man still feels and thinks as I.
1972 P. Driscoll Wilby Conspiracy (1973) xi. 145 September, on all fours with a pair of rubber knee-pads on, was vigorously polishing the slate floor.
knee-pants n.
ΚΠ
1869 Atlantic Monthly July 74/2 I made my initial bow before the foot-lights, in my small Canton flannel knee-pants.
1916 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 1 July 12/4 (advt.) Boys' Straight Knee Pants, of good quality English tweeds.
1942 Short Guide Great Brit. (U.S. War Dept.) 20 There are..youngsters in knee pants..who have lived through more high explosives..than many soldiers saw..in the last war.
1969 J. D. A. Widdowson & H. Halpert in H. Halpert & G. M. Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 162 More modern costumes reported alongside the older disguises include service uniforms, ice-hockey clothing (presumably with padded shoulders and knee pants), [etc.].
knee-room n.
ΚΠ
1958 Times 19 Aug. 11/6 The headroom is only just sufficient, and the same reservation applies to the kneeroom in the back when the driver's seat is pushed back for a fairly tall driver.
1970 Times 16 Apr. 18 More front headroom and rear kneeroom could be devised by reducing the bulk of their cushions and back~rests.
knee-shorts n.
ΚΠ
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xxvi. 315 A flannel jacket, and corduroy knee-shorts.
knee-smalls n.
ΚΠ
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xxiii. 220 Played some part in blue silk knee-smalls.
knee-sock n.
ΚΠ
1964 Punch 19 Aug. 284/3 Green plaid knee-socks end in sling-back shoes.
1966 T. Pynchon Crying of Lot 49 ii. 41 A long-leg girdle and a couple pairs of knee socks.
knee-splint n.
knee-sprain n.
ΚΠ
1591 R. Greene Farewell to Folly sig. G2v Sugar candie she is..fro the wast to the kneestead.
knee-tribute n.
ΚΠ
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 782 Coming to receive from us Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile. View more context for this quotation
knee-trick n.
knee-trousers n.
ΚΠ
1899 T. W. Hall Tales 162 Since she was a little girl in short dresses and he a boy in knee trousers.
knee-ward n.
ΚΠ
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 349 Knit it on the side towards the leg to the kneeward.
knee-way n.
ΚΠ
1900 Westm. Gaz. 18 Sept. 10/1 There are umbrella-stands at the ends of the seats, and plenty of knee-way is given.
knee-worship n.
ΚΠ
1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 346 The knee-worship, and the cap-worship, and the lip-worship, they may have that are in worshipful places and callings.
b.
knee-crooking adj.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. i. 45 A dutious and knee-crooking knaue. View more context for this quotation
knee propt adj.
ΚΠ
1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland Oberon x. vii. 332 Rests on her knee-propt arm her drooping head.
knee-shaped adj.
ΚΠ
1849–52 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. i. 545/2 The same knee-shaped bend.
knee-worn adj.
ΚΠ
1832 R. Cattermole Beckett 8 My prayers rose from no knee-worn cell.
c.
kneewards n.
ΚΠ
1926 Brit. Weekly 24 June 250/5 On the patterned skirt the design grew larger as it reached kneewards.
1968 G. Jones Hist. Vikings iii. iv. 255 Ibn Rustah notes the full baggy trousers gathered kneewards vouched for by Scandinavian picture stones.
C2. Special combinations. Also kneecap n., knee-deep adj., knee-halter n. at knee-halter v. Derivatives, etc. † knee-evil n. Obsolete = knee-ill n.† knee-grass n. Obsolete see kneed adj. 1b. † knee-hulver n. Obsolete = knee-holly n. † kneeshive n. [ < German kniescheibe, Dutch knieschijf] Obsolete the kneecap.† knee-ties n. Obsolete = knee-strings n.
knee-action n. (a) in a horse, the action or coordination of movement of the knee joint; (b) exaggerated raising of the knee by an athlete; (c) in motor vehicles, a form of independent front-wheel suspension.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > special movements performed by trained horse > [noun] > movement of the legs
fore-action1816
knee-action1868
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing on foot > [noun] > actions
knee-action1868
crouching1904
crouch start1913
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > steering, suspension, or wheels > springs, etc., supporting chassis > types of
knee-action1868
air suspension1913
1868 H. Woodruff & C. J. Foster Trotting Horse Amer. iv. 62 [The colt] continually hit himself in the elbows, by reason of excessive knee-action as it appeared.
1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy xv. 100 They will discuss how to shoe that filly so as to give her certain knee action which she seems to need.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 22 July 2/1 My action is low and sweeping, mainly from the hips, but many men..have a lot of what may be called ‘knee-action’.
1935 A. C. Baugh Hist. Eng. Lang. x. 370 Of late we have heard a good bit about free-wheeling, safety-glass, knee-action, while service stations and tourist camps are everywhere along the road.
1963 R. F. Webb Motorists' Dict. 144 Knee-action suspension... The front wheels are supported on upper and lower radius arms, the upper of which has an action like the human knee joint where it joins the king pin link support.
knee apparatus n. surgical apparatus for fracture, etc., of the knee.
knee-ball n. see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > bones of arm or leg > bones of leg > [noun] > bones of lower leg > tibia > parts of
shina1000
knee-ball1826
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. 385 Molula (the Knee-ball), the convex and sometimes bent head of the Tibia, armed with a horny process on each side, by which it is attached to the thigh.
knee-bend n. the action of bending the (human) knee, esp. used of a physical exercise in which the body is raised and lowered without use of the hands.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > gymnastics > exercise > [noun] > specific exercises
breathing1605
breather1802
arm swing1859
setting-up drill1862
grasshopper march1884
lunge1889
push-up1897
sit-up1900
pull-up1901
deep-breathing1904
bag-punching1927
press-up1928
setting-up exercise1935
pullover1936
bear crawl1937
burpee1939
knee-bend1941
leg raise1944
dip1945
uddiyana1949
squat thrust1950
lateral1954
pull-down1956
aquacise1968
step-up1973
abdominal crunch1981
power walking1982
crunch1983
gut-buster1983
stomach crunch1986
1941 Penguin New Writing 9 62 I practise the knee-bend, the stare, and the slow roll.
1963 I. Fleming On Her Majesty's Secret Service xi. 117 He proceeded to a quarter of an hour of knee-bends and press-ups.
1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 26/2 La Lanne moves from knee bends and neck stretches to pitching his mattresses and reducing aids without the slightest break in his pace or enthusiasm.
knee-bend v. (intransitive) .
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > gymnastics > exercise > [verb (intransitive)] > specific exercises
lunge1905
knee-bend1961
1961 A. Miller Misfits xi. 119 Guido half knee-bends with his rope over his thighs and pulls.
knee-bent adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [adjective] > having particular parts
bladeda1616
culmiferous1704
knee-bent1776
knee-bowed1888
1776–96 W. Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 119 Straw not only ascending, but knee-bent.
knee-board n. (a) the part of the leg at the back of the knee, the back of the thigh or hough; (b) in a cotton-yarn winding-machine (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > leg > knee > [noun] > back of
hamc1000
knee-boardc1425
hough?a1513
houx1555
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > winding > equipment for > machine > part of
knee-boardc1425
building motion1904
c1425 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 637/13 Hec fragus, kneborde.
1895 R. Marsden Cotton Weaving 257 The board..generally called the knee-board, an incorrect name if regard be had to its function. This board is usually covered with flannel, and forms a check upon the too easy delivery of the yarn to the draught of the spindle, thereby securing uniformity of tension in the winding.
knee-bone n. the patella, kneecap.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > bones of arm or leg > bones of leg > [noun] > knee-cap
eye of the kneea1400
rotulaa1400
knee-pan14..
whirling-bone14..
knee-bonec1410
pan?a1425
rotule?a1425
rowel?a1425
whirl-bone1530
patel1552
shive1598
kneeshive1599
lid of the knee1632
patella1634
cap1767
kneecap1869
c1410 Chron. Eng. 758 Hys legges hy corven of anon, Faste by the kneo-bon.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 21 July 7/1 [He] stated that successful cases of the binding of the knee-bone had been known after a fortnight's delay.
knee-boot n. (a) a boot reaching to the knee; (b) a leathern apron to draw over the knees in a carriage.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > boot > [noun] > reaching to knee
knee-boot1794
knee-length1895
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > carriage for conveying persons > [noun] > parts of > board or leather apron at front
apron1790
dashing-leather1794
knee-boot1794
splashing-board1809
splash-board1826
boot1828
dashboard1847
apron-cloth1857
dasher1858
dash1868
splasher1887
storm apron1895
1794 W. Felton Treat. Carriages I. 216 At the top of some knee-boots, an iron-jointed rod is sewed in the leather, which fixes in spring sockets on the elbow rail.
1892 Gentlewoman's Bk. Sports I. 97 I wear a waterproof skirt, and india-rubber knee-boots.
Categories »
knee-boss n. a piece of armour used in the Middle Ages to protect the knee, consisting of a cap of leather or other material.
knee-bowed adj. of grasses and straws, bent or bowed at the knees or joints (see 9a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [adjective] > having particular parts
bladeda1616
culmiferous1704
knee-bent1776
knee-bowed1888
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Knee-bowed, said of corn after much rain.
knee-brace n. Engineering a strut fixed diagonally between the lower chord of a truss and one of its supporting columns.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > specific parts built or constructed > [noun] > beams or supports
sillc897
sole-tree1527
spur1529
brace1530
rance1574
strut1587
ground pin1632
ground-plate1663
strut-beam1668
wale-piece1739
strutting-beam1753
wale1754
stretcher1774
tie1793
tie-beam1823
strutting1833
lattice frame1838
tie-bolt1838
tie rod1839
brace-rod1844
web1845
box girder1849
plate girder1849
lattice beam1850
lattice girder1852
girder1853
twister1875
under-girder1875
truss-beam1877
raker1880
wind-bracing1890
portal strut1894
stirrup1909
knee-brace1912
tee-beam1930
tee section1963
binder-
1912 A. Morley Theory of Struct. xv. 423 The kneebraces meeting the stanchions 4·75 feet below the caps.
1959 L. C. Urquhart Civil Engin. Handbk. (ed. 4) v. 3 Frequently..trusses are stiffened in their own vertical planes by inserting knee braces at both ends between the bottom chord and supporting columns.
knee-braced adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > [adjective] > supported with specific parts
trussed1840
knee-braced1915
1915 H. R. Thayer Struct. Design II. xii. 448 (heading) The knee-braced steel frame.
1940 Archit. Rev. Mar. 102/2 The roof unit and ceiling members..in the 27 ft. wide blocks [form] a knee-braced truss.
1950 Engineering 31 Mar. 366/1 By using a knee-braced portal structure, broad-flange beams may be employed for spans up to about 70 ft.
knee-bracing n.
ΚΠ
1912 H. R. Thayer Struct. Design I. iii. 53 It is sometimes necessary to use knee bracing..but it is not as strong as the X bracing..and it introduces large bending stresses.
knee-breech n. Singular of knee-breeches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > types of > breeches
breecha1100
breeka1300
femoralc1450
hosec1460
breecha1500
overstocks1543
strossers1598
strouses1600
breeching1604
brogues1615
trousies1652
small clothes1770
knee-breeches1829
smalls1836
breekums1839
culotte1842
sine qua nons1850
terminations1863
trouserettes1875
strides1889
knee-breech1904
1904 Daily Chron. 11 Oct. 3/5 Men do not dress now, they merely clothe themselves, and they will not alter this fact by adopting the knee-breech.
1927 Observer 22 May 12 (heading) A blow to the knee-breech crusade.
knee-breeched adj. wearing knee-breeches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing trousers > wearing breeches
breechedc1550
knee-breeched1884
1884 Harper's Mag. Jan. 303/1 Some two hundred and fifty apostles of the knee-breeched cultus.
knee-breeches n. (Scottishknee-breeks) breeches reaching down to, or just below, the knee.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > types of > breeches
breecha1100
breeka1300
femoralc1450
hosec1460
breecha1500
overstocks1543
strossers1598
strouses1600
breeching1604
brogues1615
trousies1652
small clothes1770
knee-breeches1829
smalls1836
breekums1839
culotte1842
sine qua nons1850
terminations1863
trouserettes1875
strides1889
knee-breech1904
1829 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xlvii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 847 There he is,—wi' his..licht casimer knee-breeks wi' lang ties.
1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger i. i. 4 It is so odd to see such a little fellow with knee-breeches.
1846 F. W. Fairholt Costume in Eng. Gloss. at Breeches The plain tight knee-breeches, still worn as court-dress.
knee-brush n. (a) a tuft of long hair, immediately below the carpal joint, on the legs of some antelopes; (b) a hairy mass covering the legs of bees, on which they carry pollen (cf. brush n.2 4).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > antelope > [noun] > parts of
knee-brush1834
crumen1875
1834 Penny Cycl. II. 75/2 Another [species of antelope] differs from the general type in the possession of knee-brushes.
knee-chest position n. a position adopted by some women in sexual intercourse (see quot. 1936 at sense 2d).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > position in intercourse > specific
knee-chest position1935
missionary position1948
cowgirl1993
reverse cowgirl1993
1935 H. M. Stone & A. Stone Marriage Man. (1936) vii. 249 The woman in the so-called ‘knee-chest’ position, that is kneeling face downward.
1968 R. Kyle Love Lab. ix. 127 The arm can be set for only two positions, the supine and knee-chest.
knee-crop n. a crop in the cultivation of which the field-workers have to kneel.
ΚΠ
1928 Sat. Evening Post (N.Y.) 10 Mar. 170/2 The Mexican..does heavy field work—particularly in the so-called ‘stoop crops’ and ‘knee crops’ of vegetable and cantaloupe production.
knee-drill n. kneeling to order for prayers: a term of the Salvation Army.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > prayer > kinds of prayer > [noun] > on one's knees > kneeling for
knee-drill1882
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men I. xii. 261 The brave [Salvation Army] warriors were now in full blast, and the fighting, ‘knee-drill’, singing..were at their highest.
knee-elbow position n. ‘the prone position of the body when supported on a bed or couch by the knees and the elbows, so that the face is lower than the pelvis, and the abdominal muscles become relaxed’ ( New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon 1888).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or act of kneeling > [noun] > posture on knees and elbows
knee-elbow position1898
1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 768 If the patient..assume the knee-elbow position for a short time, the dulness disappears.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle > [noun] > disease of joints
knee-ill1808
knee-evil1827
1827 Sporting Mag. 20 73 F. Bacon..called it the knee evil, and seemed to consider it as a new complaint among race~horses.
knee-fringe n. a fringe on the bottom of knee-breeches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > types of > breeches > parts of
paunce cloth1552
canions1569
slop1591
port-cannon1663
knee-fringe1684
knee-strings1712
knee-ties1825
fall-front1860
1684 J. Dryden Prol. Opening of New House in Misc. Poems 287 The dangling Knee-fringe, and the Bib-Cravat.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [noun] > bristle-grass
kneed grass1597
knee-grass1706
pigeon grass1838
bristle-grass1841
pigeon millet1948
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Knee-grass, a sort of Herb.
knee-guard n. a genouillère.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > armour for limbs > [noun] > leg armour > armour for knees
genouillerec1380
poleyn1388
pulley-piece1611
kneecap1660
kneeleta1843
knee-guard1869
knee-piece1869
1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour vii. 113 These secondary defences were severally entitled coudières and genouillières, elbow-guards, that is, and knee-guards.
1894 H. Speight Nidderdale & Garden of Nidd 208 Upon the knee-guards are depicted small raised shields.
knee-hobbling n. fastening an animal's knees with a hobble.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > [noun] > taming or training > tamer or trainer > restraining
muzzling1579
trammelling1588
knee-haltering1908
knee-hobbling1908
1908 Animal Managem. (War Office) 150 Grazing should be afforded at every opportunity, and for this purpose knee-hobbling is the best plan to adopt.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
knee-hul n. (also knee-hull) = knee-holly n.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
knee-ill n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle > [noun] > disease of joints
knee-ill1808
knee-evil1827
1808–18 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Knee-ill, a disease of cattle, affecting their joints.
knee-iron n. see quots.
ΚΠ
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 519/2 Knee-iron, an angle-iron at the junction of timbers in a frame.
knee-jerk n. see quots.; also attributive, and figurative, predictable, automatic, stereotyped.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > [noun] > jerking > a jerk > specifically of the body > of the leg
knee-jerk1890
the world > action or operation > behaviour > customary or habitual mode of behaviour > [adjective] > routine > of actions or persons
knee-jerk1969
1890 M. Foster Text Bk. Physiol. (ed. 5) III. i. 913 Striking the tendon below the patella gives rise to a sudden extension of the leg, known as the 'knee-jerk'.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 367 The physiological deep reflex called the ‘knee-jerk’ or ‘patellar reflex’.
1951 J. Holloway Lang. & Intell. v. 79 The knee-jerk reflex may be more or less rapid.
1963 N.Y. Times 7 Oct. 30 The place has always been full of liberals... In Washington, we call them crack-pots, knee-jerks, do-gooders.
1969 Time 30 May 22/3 ‘What you have here,’ he said, ‘is the opposite of the knee-jerk liberal—the knee-jerk conservative.’
1970 Daily Tel. 2 June 19 In spite of knee-jerk reactions speculating on a Swiss franc revaluation, the Swiss franc never reached its ‘ceiling’ against the dollar.
1973 Washington Post 5 Apr. B. 2 There is also some tired business about ‘educating abroad’ and a knee-jerk Mafia joke because Candoli is Italian.
knee-jump n.
ΚΠ
1898 J. Hutchinson Archives Surg. IX. 135 His Knee-jump was poor.
knee-kick n. = knee-jerk n.
knee-knaps n. ‘leathers worn over the knees by thatchers’ (Barnes Gloss. Dorset 1864).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > [noun] > for the knee
knee-knaps1886
1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge xliii, in Graphic 8 May 511/1 Fresh leggings, knee-naps, and corduroys.
knee-length n. attributive reaching down (or up) to the knee; also elliptical, (a garment of) such a length.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > of specific length
foot-sideOE
sideOE
long-side1575
sidelong1575
nock-shorn1632
talarian1671
three-quarter1713
overknee1831
talaric1853
high water1856
ankle-length1876
long1882
hip-length1893
knee-length1895
thigh-length1895
fingertip1920
mid-calf1931
wrist-length1935
floor-length1939
cropped1954
waltz-length1958
two-thirds1963
calf-length1965
midi1968
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > of specific length > other
mid-calf1832
knee-length1895
midi1969
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > boot > [noun] > reaching to knee
knee-boot1794
knee-length1895
1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 483/3 Horsehide leggings, either ‘knee’ or ‘thigh’ lengths.
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 240/1 Ladies'..Union suit..shaped form fitting waist, knee length.
1909 Daily Chron. 6 Jan. 7/1 Both sexes wear deerskin breeches and knee-length coats.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 497 To lace up crisscrossed to kneelength the dressy kid footwear.
1929 Evening News 18 Nov. 2/2 A knee-length coat trimmed with brown ermine.
1958 B. Nichols Sweet & Twenties xvi. 206 The taste of the twenties was not entirely represented by knee-length frocks and bobbed fringes.
1966 Guardian 25 July 6/2 A hovering knee-length is generally expected to be the winter norm.
1967 Punch 4 Jan. 1/1 The lengths of female laid bare by minis are apt to be covered anew by costly knee- and thigh-length boots, thick tights and miscellaneous ‘warms’.
knee-piece n. (a) a bent piece of timber used in shipbuilding: = sense 7a; (b) = knee-rafter n.; (c) a genouillère.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > armour for limbs > [noun] > leg armour > armour for knees
genouillerec1380
poleyn1388
pulley-piece1611
kneecap1660
kneeleta1843
knee-guard1869
knee-piece1869
1666 London Gaz. No. 68/1 One [Fly-boat] of 300 Tuns, with..Deal, Knee-pieces, and other Oak timber for ships.
1679 [see knee-rafter n.]. 1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour x. 190 The pouleyns, genouillières, or knee-pieces became general before the close of the 13th century.
knee-pine n. a dwarf variety of the European mountain pine.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > pines and allies
pine treeeOE
pineOE
pine-nut treec1330
pineapplec1390
pineapple treea1398
mountain pine1597
pine1597
mountain pine1601
frankincense1611
rosin flower?1611
black pine1683
Scotch pine1706
yellow pine1709
Jersey pine1743
loblolly pine1760
mugoa1768
Scots pine1774
Scotch fir1777
arrow plant1779
scrub pine1791
Georgia pine1796
old field pine1797
tamarack1805
grey pine1810
pond pine1810
New Jersey pine1818
loblolly1819
Corsican pine1824
celery-top pine1827
toatoa1831
heavy-wooded pine1836
nut pine1845
celery pine1851
celery-topped pine1851
sugar-pine1853
western white pine1857
Jeffrey1858
Korean pine1858
lodge-pole pine1859
jack pine1863
whitebark pine1864
twisted pine1866
Monterey pine1868
tanekaha1875
chir1882
slash-pine1882
celery-leaved pine1883
knee-pine1884
knobcone pine1884
matsu1884
meadow pine1884
Alaska pine1890
limber pine1901
bristlecone pine1908
o-matsu1916
insignis1920
radiata1953
1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 231 Pinus Mugho var. nana Knee Pine.
knee-plate n. (a) a broad steel plate worn from the 15th to the 17th cent. as a protection for the thigh; (b) Shipbuilding an angled metal plate used as a knee (sense 7a).
ΚΠ
1858 J. Grantham Iron Ship-building 217 Bulkheads to be five in number;..to have brackets, or knee plates, riveted horizontally against the ship's side.
1969 Jrnl. Abstr. Brit. Ship. Res. Assoc. 24 218 (heading) Determination of the effectiveness of a knee plate by plastic theory.
knee-process n. = 9b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > spur or stump of branch or bud
stubc1405
snag1577
brunt1623
skeg1625
stud1657
argot1693
spur1704
stump1707
wood-bud1763
nog1802
branch-bud1882
knee1889
knee-process1889
dard1925
1889 Science (U.S.) XIII. 176/2 The trees [swamp cypresses] which grew upon high ground failed to develop any knee processes.
knee-punch n. see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > making watches > tools or materials used in watchmaking
wig-wag1582
turn-bench1680
fusee-engine1858
parachute1865
fraise1874
pinion-file1875
watch-oil1876
bouchon1881
spotter1881
bench winder1884
knee-punch1884
pinion bottoming file1884
pinion gauge1884
stake1884
wax lathe1884
turner1891
1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 135 Knee Punch, a cranked punch for removing plugs from cylinders.
knee-rafter n. a rafter the lower end of which is bent downwards.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > roof-beam > rafter > others
hip1363
hip rafter1663
knee-rafter1679
sleeper1688
valley-piece1823
valley-rafter1823
binding-rafter1842
subprincipal1842
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. Explan. Terms 169 A peece of Timber growing angularly, or crooked..being made out of one peece of stuff: it is called a Knee-peece, or Knee-Rafter.
1850 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 5) I. 279 Knee-rafter, or crook-rafter in the principal truss of a roof.
knee-reflex n. = knee-jerk n.
ΚΠ
1888 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon Knee reflex. Same as knee-jerk.
1898 J. Hutchinson Archives Surg. IX. 336 His knee-reflexes were good.
Thesaurus »
knee-roof n. = curb-roof n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > bones of arm or leg > bones of leg > [noun] > knee-cap
eye of the kneea1400
rotulaa1400
knee-pan14..
whirling-bone14..
knee-bonec1410
pan?a1425
rotule?a1425
rowel?a1425
whirl-bone1530
patel1552
shive1598
kneeshive1599
lid of the knee1632
patella1634
cap1767
kneecap1869
1599 A. M. tr. O. Gaebelkhover Bk. Physicke 224/1 Heerwith must the Woman annoyncte herselfe in and rownde about her Navle, and kneeshive.
knee-sick adj. see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by poor growth > [adjective] > root-fallen or bent
root-fallen1763
knee-sick1794
1794 T. Davis Gen. View Agric. Wilts. 59 The crop is..‘Knee-sick’ (that is, not strong enough in straw to support itself).
knee-slapper n. U.S. an uproariously funny joke.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > laughter > causing laughter > [noun] > jest or pleasantry > a jest or joke > uproariously funny
side-splitter1834
gut-buster1929
boff1945
boffola1946
thigh-slapper1965
knee-slapper1966
1966 New Yorker 5 Nov. 128 ‘How's the World Treating You’, an English comedy at the Music Box, is full of knee-slappers like that one.
1970 W. S. Burroughs, Jr. Speed 84 I needed a phone book which the guard thought a real knee slapper.
knee-sprung adj. Farriery (see quot. 1905).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [adjective] > of the legs > having particular type of hock
cat-hammed1695
broken-kneed1702
cow-hocked1827
knee-sprung1875
1875 Scribner's Monthly June 208/1 Particularly when that animal's foundered and knee-sprung.
1905 J. W. Axe Horse I. 74 When the knee is displaced forward in advance of the vertical line it is said to be ‘bowed’, or the horse ‘stands over’, ‘knee sprung’.
knee-stake v. (transitive) in Leather Manufacturing, to soften (a skin) by aid of the knee.
ΚΠ
1903 L. A. Flemming Pract. Tanning 51 When in just the right condition, the skins are knee-staked for the purpose of softening them to get rid of the stretch.
knee-stop n. = knee-swell n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > types of organ > [noun] > reed-organ > parts of
vibrator1862
percussion stop1875
striking-reed1875
knee-stop1876
percussion1879
tube-board1880
pedal1882
1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 250/2 Knee Stop, a mechanical contrivance on harmoniums, by which certain shutters are made to open gradually when the knees are pressed against levers.
1897 Musical Times Jan. 57/1 American organ..11 stops including two knee-stops.
knee-strap n. (a) the strap used by a shoemaker to keep a boot in position on his knee; (b) U.S. ‘in a railroad-car, a wrought-iron facing to a knee-timber, connecting the end-sill and the stirrup or drawbar carry-iron’ ( Cent. Dict. 1890).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > device for holding shoe or last steady
stirrupa1600
knee-strap1812
boot-clampa1877
1812 Sporting Mag. 40 14 A significant dangle of my knee-strap.
a1892 W. Whitman To Working Men 6 The awl and knee-strap.
knee-strings n. strings worn round the knee at the bottom of knee-breeches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > types of > breeches > parts of
paunce cloth1552
canions1569
slop1591
port-cannon1663
knee-fringe1684
knee-strings1712
knee-ties1825
fall-front1860
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 317. ¶4 Tied my Knee-strings, and washed my Hands.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. i. 163 When we set ourselves to think intensely few of us leave our limbs entirely at rest,..some play with their buttons, some twist their knee strings.
1852 R. S. Surtees Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour x. liii. 299 The knee-strings were generally also loose.
knee-swell n. in the harmonium and American organ, a lever operated by the performer's knee for producing crescendo and diminuendo effects.
ΚΠ
1882 Ogilvie's Imperial Dict. (new ed.) Knee-swell.
knee-table n. a knee-hole table.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > knee-hole table
knee-table1890
knee-hole1895
1890 Eng. Illustr. Mag. Christm. No. 157 He..took a seat at the knee table.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and lower body > [noun] > trousers > types of > breeches > parts of
paunce cloth1552
canions1569
slop1591
port-cannon1663
knee-fringe1684
knee-strings1712
knee-ties1825
fall-front1860
1825 in W. Hone Every-day Bk. (1826) I. 563 Knee-ties depending half-way down to the ancles.
knee-tremble n. see knee-trembler n.
ΚΠ
1965 G. Melly Owning-up vi. 67 A member of the band..gave her a knee tremble at the back of the building.
knee-trembler n. slang an act of sexual intercourse between persons in a standing position.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > other types of sexual activity or intercourse > [noun] > other specific
vera copula1850
knee-trembler1896
gang-banging1949
gang-bang1950
gang-up1951
wham, bam, thank you ma'am1956
tribadism1962
bareback1963
Princeton1965
safe sex1968
onion1969
dry fuck1971
dry hump1972
barebacking1991
scissoring2003
1896 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang IV. 119/1 Knee-trembler, a standing embrace; a fast-fuck; a perpendicular.
1966 F. Shaw et al. Lern Yerself Scouse 62 We wen up der jigger fera kneetrembler, we went courting in lovers' lane.
1971 B. W. Aldiss Soldier Erect 18 They would be going to the pub for a pint and afterwards Nelson would get her against our back wall for a knee-trembler... He claimed that knee-tremblers were the most exhausting way of having sex.
Draft additions December 2020
Phrases
to take a (also the) knee.
a. To kneel; to go down on one knee, esp. as a sign of respect or (in later use) as a peaceful means of protesting against institutional racism.The practice of taking a knee as a form of protest was popularized by American Football player Colin Kaepernick, who chose to kneel rather than stand during prematch performances of the national anthem: see quot. 2017.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or act of kneeling > kneel or assume kneeling posture [verb (transitive)]
kneea1616
deflect1630
to take a (also the) knee1960
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > be militant [verb (intransitive)] > demonstrate or protest > specific
to sit down1936
to sit in1937
sit1959
to take a (also the) knee1960
1960 State (Columbia, S. Carolina) 2 May b3/4 We all played for him. We all loved him. Now he's gone. So let's all take a knee for a moment of silence for our Rex Enright.
2004 Daily News (N. Y.) (Nexis) 8 Dec. 5 ‘Oh, my God!’ gasped Melissa Beck, as Joe Imperato took a knee and asked her to marry him. ‘Yes! Omigod!’
2017 Evening Standard (Nexis) 15 Dec. One of the most dignified rebellions of recent years started with Colin Kaepernick's taking the knee during the national anthem as a protest about the treatment of black men by police in the US.
2020 @RoyceWestTX 30 May in twitter.com (accessed 16 June 2020) Tonight, in downtown Dallas, I encouraged peaceful citizen protesters to #TakeAKnee to protest the death of #GeorgeFloyd and other black men and women killed at the hands of police.
b. American Football. Of a player in possession of the ball, esp. the quarterback or the receiver of a kick: to down the ball intentionally by kneeling on one knee; cf. down v.1 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > play American football [verb (transitive)] > actions to ball
return1884
snap1887
drive1889
centre1895
to turn over1921
convert1932
lateral1932
snag1942
shovel pass1948
bootleg1951
squib1966
to take a (also the) knee1972
spike1976
1972 Thomasville (Georgia) Times-Enterprise 11 Nov. 9/1 Raines instructed Gaston to take a knee in the endzone for a safety, so that the Bulldogs could free kick from the 20.
1994 Denver Post 20 Nov. b12/4 Instead of taking a knee and running out the clock, Vena tried a pitchout.
2018 Chico (Calif.) Enterprise-Record (Nexis) 8 Sept. b2 A few first downs later, REV quarterback Myles Herrera was taking a knee to run out the clock on a hard-fought Wildcats victory.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
kneev.
/niː/, U.S. /ni/ 1. 1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. I. ii. ii. sig. H.vv/1 To bowe downe, is to cap and to knee, to ducke with the heade.1612 W. Parkes Curtaine-drawer 34 The Lawyer whil'st he liues, may..bee capt and kneed to like a Prince.
a. intransitive. To go down on, or bend, the knee or knees; to kneel or bow, esp. in token of reverence or submission. Const. to (a person), whence indirect passive to be kneed to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > respect or show respect [verb (intransitive)] > bow, kneel, or curtsey
loutc825
abowOE
bowa1000
kneel?a1000
kneec1000
crookc1320
to bow the knee1382
inclinec1390
crouchc1394
croukc1394
coucha1500
plya1500
to make or do courtesy1508
beck1535
to make a (long, low, etc.) leg1548
curtsya1556
dopc1557
binge1562
jouk1567
beckon1578
benda1586
humblea1592
vaila1593
to scrape a leg1602
congee1606
to give the stoop1623
leg1628
scrape1645
to drop a curtsy1694
salaam1698
boba1794
dip1818
to make (also perform) a cheese1834
society > faith > worship > other practices > carry out other practices [verb (intransitive)] > kneel, bow, or prostrate oneself
kneel?a1000
fallOE
kneec1000
prostratea1425
genuflect1850
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or act of kneeling > kneel or assume kneeling posture [verb (intransitive)] > assume kneeling posture
to bend, bow, drop, fold, put the (one's) kneec950
kneec1000
to sit on one's kneesOE
to sit downa1450
to strike down1616
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 154 Benedictus..mid wope on his gebedum cneowode.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Þet folc..knewede to-foren him on bismer.
c1250 Passion our Lord 387 in Old Eng. Misc. 48 Seþþe hi knowede and seyde, hayl gywene king.
b. transitive with complement or cognate object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or act of kneeling > kneel or assume kneeling posture [verb (transitive)]
kneea1616
deflect1630
to take a (also the) knee1960
society > faith > worship > other practices > carry out other practices [verb (transitive)] > kneel or bow
aloutc1390
kneea1616
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [verb (transitive)] > show respect for > kneel
kneea1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) v. i. 5 Go..fall downe, and knee The way into his mercy. View more context for this quotation
1864 Earl of Derby tr. Homer Iliad xxii. 409 Knee me no knees, vile hound! nor prate to me Of parents!
1869 Pall Mall Gaz. 22 July 4 It was a rare sight to see the throng..kneeing their way up stair by stair.
2. transitive. To supplicate, or do obeisance to, by kneeling or bending the knee. archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [verb (transitive)] > show respect for > kneel > kneel to
knee1592
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Brit. Libr. copy) sig. F3 v Thou hast capd and kneed him..for a chipping.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear vii. 372 I could as well be brought To knee his throne, and Squire-like pension bag. View more context for this quotation
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 937 Sycophants, who knee Thy name, adoring.
1888 R. Buchanan City of Dream viii. 162 They knee strange gods.
3.
a. To strike or touch with the knee; spec., to strike a person (esp. in the groin) deliberately with the knee. Also figurative, implying foul play.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > be near to [verb (transitive)] > be in contact with > touch with specific part of body
nose1773
nuzzle1812
knee1892
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > with the knee
knee1955
1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Mar. 2/1 B...whilst defending the College goal..was ‘kneed a violent blow in the groin’.
1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Mar. 2/1 P.B. received injuries in an Association game..it is fair to infer that the injury was received from kneeing the ball.
1899 M. Hewlett in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 333 Evenly forward she came..without so much as kneeing her skirt.
1953 Time 20 July 13/1 Like most successful rough and tumble fighters, Senator Joe McCarthy always presses in, and is adept at forensic kneeing, gouging and butting.
1955 Telegram (Toronto) 21 Apr. 6/8 A hockey coach says even youngsters playing hockey are taught kneeing and butt-ending.
1967 K. Giles Death in Diamonds ix. 176 He belted the P.C., kneed another in the stomach and tried to bolt.
1968 ‘R. Raine’ Night of Hawk xxxvi. 174 I..knee'd him in the groin.
1972 J. Mosedale Football ix. 122 Guyon..spun round and kneed Halas, breaking three of his ribs.
1973 N.Y. Times 6 Oct. 4/5 One plainclothesman repeatedly kneeing Mr Ogden in the back.
b. To urge (a horse) on by pressing the knees against its flanks. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > urge on > in specific way
gee-up1752
flog1841
shove1869
knee1924
1924 C. E. Mulford Rustlers' Valley iii. 33 Then he..turned his own animal southward and kneed it forward.
1926 C. E. Mulford Cassidy's Protégé x. 133 The herder,..kneeing his horse, rode swiftly back and forth several times for a hundred feet each way.
4. Carpentry. To fasten with a knee or knees.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > build or construct with wood [verb (transitive)] > join > with specific joint or method
mortisea1450
culver-tail1616
scarf1627
tenon1652
dovetail1657
cock1663
shoot?1677
knee1711
indent1741
mitre1753
halve1804
box1815
tongue1823
sypher1841
cog1858
butt joint1859
jag1894
lap-join1968
1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 71 To be Dove~tail'd into the Clamps and double Knee'd.
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 129 The clamps..are..supplied, the beams knee'd.
5. Scottish.
a. transitive. To give a knee-like or angular bend to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > angularity > make angular or furnish with angles or corners [verb (transitive)] > bend at an angle
crank1793
knee1808
1808–18 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (at cited word) The wind is said to knee corn, when it breaks it down so that it strikes root by the stalk.
1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (at cited word) To knee irne, to bend iron into an angular form, Ang[us].
b. intransitive. To bend in an angle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > angularity > be bent in an angle [verb (intransitive)]
knee1825
strut1832
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. To Knee, to bend in the middle, as a nail in being driven into the wall.
1851 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 12 i. 117 When bulky the culms knee over above the first joint from the ground.
6. transitive. To make a cut in the knee of (a beast), in order to disable it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > [verb (transitive)] > knee
knee1890
1890 L. C. D'Oyle Notches Rough Edge Life (U.S.) 37 ‘Dandy’ took out his knife, and, had I not been close by, would have ‘kneed’ the steer before letting him up.
7. To renew the knees of (a garment). U.S. and dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > repair or renovate > specific part of garment
seat1762
reseat1820
knee1847
1847 H. Howe Hist. Coll. Ohio 348 After wearing out their woollen pantaloons, [they] were obliged to have them seated and kneed with buckskin.
1891 R. Kerr Maggie o' Moss 36 Corduroys! and them sae clouted, Backside, foreside, knee'd an a'.
Derivatives
ˈkneeing n.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > submissiveness > submission > [noun]
kneeinga1240
submittingc1460
submissiona1475
submittance1602
resignation1663
dedition1667
knuckle-down1859
a1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 199 Þu miht forȝelden..Al mi swinc and mi sor and mine kneouwunge.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.c825
v.c1000