Definition
nounThe joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
nounAny turn or bend like that of the elbow, in a wall, building, coastline, etc.; an angular or jointed part of any structure, such as the raised arm of a chair or sofa, or a short pipe fitting, turning at an angle or bent.
Sentence Examples
You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water.
Talk of devil, and he's presently at your elbow.
She jabbed him with her elbow.
Word Origin & History
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 Bokmål albue (“elbow”), Norwegian Nynorsk olboge (“elbow”), Faroese albogi, Icelandic olbogi, olnbogi (“elbow”), Swedish armbåge (“elbow”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Up to the elbowes naked were there Armes."
— 1627, Michael Drayton, “The Moone-Calfe”, in English Poetry 1579-1830: Spenser and the Tradition, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2016:
"Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. ¶ "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics.""
— 1907, Robert W. Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set:
"The water runs down with a strong, sharp stickle, and then has a sudden elbow in it, where the small brook trickles in; and on that side the bank is steep, four or it may be five feet high, overhanging loamily; […]"
— 1869, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor:
""An elbow, huh?" putting all the contempt he could in his voice; and somehow any synonym for detective seems able to hold a lot of contempt."
— 1924, Dashiell Hammett, Zigzags of Treachery:
"In the fair dinkum department that elbow prop Barrie McDermott threw into the face of Paul Sironen deserved to get him four months on the side-lines[.]"
— 1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 200: