knuckle

[ nuhk-uh l ]
/ ˈnʌk əl /

noun

verb (used with object), knuck·led, knuck·ling.

to rub or press with the knuckles.
Marbles. to shoot (a marble) from the thumb and forefinger.

Verb Phrases

knuckle down,
  1. to apply oneself vigorously and earnestly; become serious: Just knuckle down for an hour or so and finish the work.
  2. Also knuckle under. to submit; yield.

Origin of knuckle

1325–75; Middle English knokel (akin to Dutch kneukel, German Knöchel), diminutive of a word represented by Dutch knok, German Knochen bone; see -le

OTHER WORDS FROM knuckle

knuck·ly, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for knuckle down (1 of 2)

knuckle down

verb

(intr, adverb) informal to apply oneself diligently to knuckle down to some work

British Dictionary definitions for knuckle down (2 of 2)

knuckle
/ (ˈnʌkəl) /

noun

verb

(tr) to rub or press with the knuckles
(intr) to keep the knuckles on the ground while shooting a marble

Derived forms of knuckle

knuckly, adjective

Word Origin for knuckle

C14: related to Middle High German knöchel, Middle Low German knoke bone, Dutch knok

Medical definitions for knuckle down

knuckle
[ nŭkəl ]

n.

The prominence of the dorsal aspect of a joint of a finger, especially of one of the joints that connect the fingers to the hand.
A rounded protuberance formed by the bones in a joint.
A kink or loop of intestine, as in a hernia.

Idioms and Phrases with knuckle down (1 of 2)

knuckle down

1

Apply oneself seriously to some task or goal, as in The professor insisted that we knuckle down and get our papers in by Friday. Both this term and the rhyming synonym buckle down date from the 1860s, but the precise allusion in either is unclear.

2

See knuckle under.

Idioms and Phrases with knuckle down (2 of 2)

knuckle