What does knee mean?
The knee is the hinged joint where the thigh meets the lower leg. It supports a substantial share of the body's weight and allows the leg to bend during walking, running, sitting, kneeling, and jumping. The word also refers to clothing over this joint and to the position of one or both knees when a person kneels, falls, or submits to someone else. Figurative expressions based on the knee are especially vivid: weak knees suggest fear or exhaustion, buckling knees suggest sudden alarm, and being brought to one's knees can mean defeat, submission, or overwhelming emotion. The word appears in many common expressions, including 'bend one's knee,' 'on one's knees,' and 'weak in the knees.' It is useful in both literal anatomical contexts and in descriptions of posture, movement, and emotional or physical distress.
The joint connecting the thigh to the lower leg, or the part of the leg or clothing at that joint.
"Her new trousers were ripped at one knee."
The expression 'on one's knees' can describe prayer, submission, defeat, or an earnest plea.
To strike or hit someone with the knee, usually as part of deliberately attacking them.
"The man grabbed the stranger and kneed him in the stomach."
Used when referring to two or more knee joints or to multiple people who are kneeling.
"The children wore knee pads while skating in the courtyard."
Your knees may be the body's largest joints, but they also let you run, jump, kneel, and pivot with surprising agility.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does knee come from?
The English word comes from Old English cniue, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kneunją and ultimately from the Indo-European root *ǵenu-, meaning 'knee.' Related forms appear in other Indo-European languages, including Latin genu and Greek gony. Latin forms of the root contributed to words such as geniculate, genuflect, and genuine, while gonial derives from the Greek term for the knee.
Related word forms
How knee is actually used
In figurative expressions, a person's knees may buckle, tremble, or give way when frightened, exhausted, or overwhelmed. The expression 'on one's knees' can indicate prayer, supplication, submission, or an attempt to make amends.