joint

[ joint ]

noun

1. the place at which two things, or separate parts of one thing, are joined or united, either rigidly or in such a way as to permit motion; juncture.
2. a connection between pieces of wood, metal, or the like, often reinforced with nails, screws, or glue.
3. Anatomy, Zoology.
   1. the movable or fixed place or part where two bones or elements of a skeleton join.
   2. the form or structure of such a part, as a ball-and-socket, hinge, pivot, etc.
4. Chiefly British. one of the large portions into which a section of meat is divided by a butcher, as the shoulder or leg, especially as served at a dining table.
5. Slang. Also called jay ². a marijuana cigarette.
6. Slang.
   1. a dirty, cheap, or disreputable place of public accommodation or entertainment, especially a restaurant or nightclub.
   2. a place or establishment, as a hotel, restaurant, etc.:

      We stayed in a very classy joint near the ocean.

7. Biology.
   1. a part, especially of a plant, insect, etc., connected with another part by an articulation, node, or the like.
   2. a portion between two articulations, nodes, or the like.
8. Botany. the part of a stem from which a branch or leaf grows; node.
9. Geology. a fracture plane in rocks, generally at right angles to the bedding of sedimentary rocks and variously oriented in igneous and metamorphic rocks, commonly arranged in two or more sets of parallel intersecting systems.
10. Mathematics. knot ¹( def 12 ).
11. the joint, Slang. prison:

    He got out of the joint just before Christmas.

12. Slang: Vulgar. penis.

adjective

1. shared by or common to two or more:

   a joint obligation.

2. undertaken or produced by two or more in conjunction or in common:

   a joint reply; a joint effort.

   Synonyms: collaborative, combined, united

3. sharing or acting in common:

   joint members of a committee.

4. joined or associated, as in relation, interest, or action:

   joint owners.

5. Law. joined together in obligation or ownership:

   joint heirs.

6. of or relating to both branches of a bicameral legislature.
7. pertaining to or noting diplomatic action in which two or more governments are formally united.

verb (used with object)

1. to unite by a joint or joints.
2. to form or provide with a joint or joints.
3. to cut (a fowl, piece of meat, etc.) at the joint; divide at a joint; separate into pieces at the joints:

   to joint a chicken.

4. Carpentry.
   1. to prepare (a board or the like) for fitting in a joint.
   2. to true the bottom of (a wooden plane body) to allow even movement along the surface of the work.
5. to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform height.
6. Masonry. to finish (a mortar joint), as by striking.

verb (used without object)

1. to fit together by or as if by joints:

   The cinder blocks jointed neatly.

joint

/ dʒɔɪnt /

noun

1. a junction of two or more parts or objects
2. the part or space between two such junctions
3. anatomy the junction between two or more bones, usually formed of connective tissue and cartilage
4. the point of connection between movable parts in invertebrates, esp insects and other arthropods articular
5. the part of a plant stem from which a branch or leaf grows
6. one of the parts into which a carcass of meat is cut by the butcher, esp for roasting
7. geology a crack in a rock along which no displacement has occurred
8. slang.
   1. a disreputable establishment, such as a bar or nightclub
   2. a dwelling or meeting place
9. slang.
   a cannabis cigarette
10. out of joint
    1. dislocated
    2. out of order or disorganized
11. put someone's nose out of joint
    See nose

adjective

1. shared by or belonging to two or more

   joint property

2. created by combined effort
3. sharing with others or with one another

   joint rulers

4. law (of persons) combined in ownership or obligation; regarded as a single entity in law

verb

1. to provide with or fasten by a joint or joints
2. to plane the edge of (a board, etc) into the correct shape for a joint
3. to cut or divide (meat, fowl, etc) into joints or at a joint

joint

/ joint /

1. Anatomy.
   A usually movable body part in which adjacent bones are joined by ligaments and other fibrous tissues.
2. Anatomy.
   See also ball-and-socket joint
3. Zoology.
   A point in the exoskeleton of an invertebrate at which movable parts join, as along the leg of an arthropod.
4. Botany.
   A point on a plant stem from which a leaf or branch grows.

Derived Forms

• ˈjointly, adverb

Other Words From

• subjoint noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of joint¹

1250–1300; 1900–05 joint fordef 6; Middle English < Old French joint, jointe < Latin junctum, juncta, neuter and feminine of junctus (past participle of jungere “to join”), equivalent to jung- join + -tus past participle suffix

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. out of joint,
   1. dislocated, as a bone.
   2. in an unfavorable state; inauspicious:

      The time is out of joint.

   3. out of keeping; inappropriate:

      Such behavior seems wholly out of joint with their fine upbringing.

More idioms and phrases containing joint

see nose out of joint ; out of joint .

Example Sentences

Popular burger joint Shake Shack closed nine locations in September, including five in the Los Angeles area.

From Los Angeles Times

She has set out plans for a new national policing body to offer support on deploying new technologies, and deliver promised improvements in the joint purchasing of policing equipment such as vehicles.

From BBC

It now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia.

From BBC

The foreign ministries of Finland and Germany issued a joint statement late Monday expressing concern about the severed cable between their countries.

From New York Times

The doctrine now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia.

From BBC

Related Words

• collective
• concerted
• cooperative