knee /nē/

1. The joint between the thigh and shin bones
2. In a horse's foreleg, the joint corresponding to the human wrist
3. In a bird, the joint corresponding to the ankle
4. The part of a garment covering the knee
5. A root upgrowth by which swamp-growing trees breathe
6. A piece of timber or metal shaped like a bent knee
7. A piece of machinery that operates like a knee
8. A genuflexion (Shakespeare)

1. To press, strike or nudge with the knee
2. To provide with a knee
3. To make (trousers, etc) baggy at the knee
4. To kneel to (Shakespeare)
5. To achieve by kneeling, or crawl over on the knees (Shakespeare)

To kneel

kneed or knee'd adjective

1. Having knees or angular joints
2. (of trousers) baggy at the knees

kneeˈ-breeches plural noun

Breeches extending to just below the knee

kneeˈ-cap or kneeˈcap noun

1. The patella, a flat round bone on the front of the knee joint
2. A cap or strong covering for the knees, used chiefly for horses to save their knees in case of a fall

transitive verb

To subject to knee-capping

kneeˈ-capping or kneeˈcapping noun

A form of torture or (terrorist) punishment in which the victim is shot or otherwise injured in the knee-cap

kneeˈ-cords plural noun

Knee-breeches of corduroy

kneeˈ-crooking adjective (Shakespeare)

Obsequious, fawning

kneeˈ-deep adjective

1. Rising or reaching to someone's knees
2. Sunk to the knees
3. Deeply involved (in)

kneeˈ-deepˈ adverb

kneeˈ-drill noun

Directed devotional exercises

kneeˈ-high adjective

Rising or reaching to someone's knees (also adverb)

noun

A sock or stocking that reaches to the knee

kneeˈhole noun

The space beneath a desk or bureau for the knees

kneeˈ-holly noun

Butcher's broom

kneeˈ-jerk noun

A reflex throwing forward of the leg when tapped below the knee-cap

adjective

(of a reaction) automatic, unthinking, predictable

knee joint noun

1. The joint of the knee
2. A joint with two pieces at an angle, so as to be very tight when pressed into a straight line

kneeˈ-length adjective

Reaching to the knee

kneeˈ-pad noun

A protective cover for the knee

kneeˈ-pan noun

The knee-cap

knee sock noun

A sock reaching to just below the knee

kneeˈ-stop or kneeˈ-swell noun

A lever worked by an organist's knee, for regulating the wind supply of a reed organ, etc

kneesˈ-up noun (informal)

A riotous dance or party

kneeˈ-timber noun

Timber bent into a shape suitable for a knee in shipbuilding, etc

kneeˈ-trembler noun (slang)

1. An act of sexual intercourse in a standing position
2. Loosely, any sexual adventure

kneeˈ-tribute noun (Milton)

The homage of kneeling

bend or bow the knee

To kneel or submit

bring someone to his or her knees

To make someone admit defeat

give or offer a knee (Thackeray, etc)

To act as second in a fight, it being usual for the principal to rest on the second's knee between the rounds

• -trope
• trope
• troped
• tropes
• -troph-
• troph-
• trophallactic
• trophallaxes
• trophallaxis
• trophesial
• trophesies
• trophesy
• trophi
• trophic
• trophic level
• trophic structure
• trophied
• trophies
• tropho-
• trophobioses
• trophobiosis
• trophobiotic
• trophoblast
• trophoblastic
• trophoblasts