shoulder

shoulder
/shohl"deuhr/, n.
1. the part of each side of the body in humans, at the top of the trunk, extending from each side of the base of the neck to the region where the arm articulates with the trunk.
2. Usually, shoulders. these two parts together with the part of the back joining them.
3. a corresponding part in animals. See diag. under horse.
4. the upper foreleg and adjoining parts of a sheep, goat, etc.
5. the joint connecting the arm or the foreleg with the trunk.
6. a shoulderlike part or projection.
7. Ornith. the bend of a bird's wing, between the hand and the forearm, esp. when distinctively colored, as in the red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus.
8. a cut of meat that includes the upper joint of the foreleg.
9. Often, shoulders. Informal. capacity for bearing responsibility or blame or sympathizing with other people: If you want to tell me your troubles, I have broad shoulders.
10. a steplike change in the contour of an object, as for opposing or limiting motion along it or for an abutment.
11. Carpentry.
a. the end surface or surfaces of a piece from which a tenon or tenons project.
b. an inclined and raised surface, as on a joggle post, for receiving and supporting the foot of a strut or the like.
12. Fort. the angle of a bastion between the face and the flank.
13. Print. the flat surface on a type body extending beyond the base of the letter or character. See diag. under type.
14. the part of a garment that covers, or fits over, the shoulder.
15. (in leather manufacturing) that part of the hide anterior to the butt.
16. either of the two edges or borders along a road, esp. that portion on which vehicles can be parked in emergencies. Cf. soft shoulder.
18. Furniture. knee (def. 6).
19. cry on someone's shoulder, to reveal one's problems to another person in order to obtain sympathy: Don't cry on my shoulder - this mess is your own fault.
20. put one's shoulder to the wheel, to work energetically toward a goal; put forth effort: If we put our shoulders to the wheel, we'll be able to finish the job soon.
21. rub shoulders with, to come into association with; mingle with: As a social worker in one of the worst slum areas, she rubs shoulders with the poor and the helpless.
22. shoulder to shoulder, side by side; with united effort: The volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder with the natives in harvesting the crops.
23. straight from the shoulder, without evasion; directly; candidly: The lawyer told him straight from the shoulder that his case was weak.
v.t.
24. to push with or as if with the shoulder, esp. roughly: to shoulder someone aside.
25. to take upon, support, or carry on or as if on the shoulder or shoulders: He shouldered his knapsack and walked on.
26. to assume as a responsibility: to shoulder the expense.
v.i.
27. to push with or as if with the shoulder: to shoulder through a crowd.
28. shoulder arms, Mil.
a. to place a rifle muzzle upward on the right or left shoulder, with the buttstock in the corresponding hand.
b. the command to shoulder arms.
[bef. 900; (n.) ME sholder, s(c)hulder, OE sculdor; c. D schouder, G Schulter; (v.) ME shulderen, deriv. of the n.]
Syn. 26. bear, undertake, carry.

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joint
 in anatomy, the joint between the arm, or forelimb, and the trunk, together with the adjacent tissue, particularly the tissue over the shoulder blade, or scapula. The shoulder, or pectoral, girdle is composed of the clavicles (clavicle) (collarbones) and the scapulae (shoulder blades). In humans the clavicles join the sternum (breastbone) medially and the scapulae laterally; the scapulae, however, are joined to the trunk only by muscles. In many cursorial (running) mammals the clavicles are reduced or no longer present, which permits free movement of the humerus (upper arm bone) in a forward direction. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, a ball-and-socket joint in which the humerus is recessed into the scapula. The flexibility of the shoulder has permitted various locomotor adaptations, such as digging (in moles (mole)), running (in antelopes (antelope)), brachiation (in gibbons (gibbon)), and flight (in birds (bird)).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Shoulder — Shoul der, n. [OE. shulder, shuldre, schutder, AS. sculdor; akin to D. schoulder, G. schulter, OHG. scultarra, Dan. skulder, Sw. skuldra.] 1. (Anat.) The joint, or the region of the joint, by which the fore limb is connected with the body or with …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shoulder — [shōl′dər] n. [ME schuldere < OE sculdor, akin to Ger schulter < IE * skḷdhrā, shoulder blade used as a spade < base * (s)kel , to cut > SHELL, SHILLING, SKULL] 1. a) the joint connecting the arm or forelimb with the body b) the part… …   English World dictionary

  • shoulder — ► NOUN 1) the joint between the upper arm or forelimb and the main part of the body. 2) a joint of meat from the upper foreleg and shoulder blade of an animal. 3) a part of something resembling a shoulder, in particular a point at which a steep… …   English terms dictionary

  • Shoulder — Shoul der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shouldered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Shouldering}.] 1. To push or thrust with the shoulder; to push with violence; to jostle. [1913 Webster] As they the earth would shoulder from her seat. Spenser. [1913 Webster] Around… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shoulder — O.E. sculdor, from W.Gmc. *skuldro (Cf. M.Du. scouder, Du. schouder, O.Fris. skoldere, M.L.G. scholder, O.H.G. scultra, Ger. Schulter), of unknown origin, perhaps related to SHIELD (Cf. shield). Meaning edge of the road is attested from 1933. The …   Etymology dictionary

  • Shoulder — Shoul der, v. i. To push with the shoulder; to make one s way, as through a crowd, by using the shoulders; to move swaying the shoulders from side to side. A yoke of the great sulky white bullocks . . . came shouldering along together. Kipling.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shoulder — [v1] be responsible for accept, assume, bear, carry, take on, take upon oneself; concept 23 Ant. deny, refuse shoulder [v2] push, jostle bulldoze*, elbow, hustle, nudge, press, push aside, shove, thrust; concept 208 …   New thesaurus

  • shoulder — index assume (undertake), bear (support), bolster, maintain (sustain), underwrite Burton s Legal …   Law dictionary

  • Shoulder — Infobox Anatomy Name = PAGENAME Latin = articulatio humeri GraySubject = 81 GrayPage = 313 Caption = Diagram of the human shoulder joint Caption2 = Capsule of shoulder joint (distended). Anterior aspect. Width = 300 Precursor = System = Artery =… …   Wikipedia

  • shoulder — shoul|der1 W2S2 [ˈʃəuldə US ˈʃouldər] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(body part)¦ 2¦(clothes)¦ 3¦(meat)¦ 4 be looking over your shoulder 5 6 shoulder to shoulder 7 on somebody s shoulders 8 put your shoulder to the wheel 9¦(road side)¦ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shoulder — [[t]ʃo͟ʊldə(r)[/t]] ♦♦ shoulders, shouldering, shouldered 1) N COUNT: oft poss N Your shoulders are between your neck and the tops of your arms. She led him to an armchair, with her arm round his shoulder... He glanced over his shoulder and saw… …   English dictionary

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