elbow
n. countablen. the joint in the middle of your arm where it bends. You use it to move your lower arm up and down.
n. the joint between the forearm and the upper arm, formed by the junction of the radius, ulna, and humerus.
He rested his elbows on the table while he ate.
She accidentally hit her elbow against the door frame, causing a sharp pain to shoot down her arm.
The athlete suffered a repetitive strain injury in his left elbow, necessitating several months of physical therapy to regain full range of motion before the next season.
From Middle English elbowe (“elbow”), from Old English elboga, elnboga (“elbow”), from Proto-Germanic *alinabugô (“elbow”), equivalent to ell + bow. Cognate with Scots elbuck (“elbow”), Saterland Frisian Älbooge (“elbow”), Dutch elleboog (“elbow”), Low German Ellebage (“elbow”), German Ellbogen, Ellenbogen (“elbow”), Danish and Norwegian albue (“elbow”), Faroese albogi, Icelandic olbogi, olnbogi (“elbow”), Swedish armbåge (“elbow”).
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bend one's elbow
To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.
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elbow grease
Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.
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elbow mentality
An attitude characterized by self-interest and a willingness to prioritize personal benefit or ambition, often above the welfare of an organization or community; a willingness to elbow (verb) past others.