elbow

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛlbəʊ̯/ (UK); /ˈɛlboʊ̯/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English elbowe, inherited from Old English elnboga (“elbow”),^[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *alinōbugô, literally the bend of the forearm,^[3][4] cognate with Middle Dutch ellenbōghe, Old High German elinbogo (modern Ellenbogen) and Old Norse ǫlnbogi.^[2][3][4] The first part is eln (“forearm, ell”) (see ell), the second boga (“bow, arch”) (see bow).^[2][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The joint between the forearm and the upper arm: about 1000 in the OED and Barnhart.^[6][2] Middle English elbowe is from before 1200 (about 1200 in Etymonline).^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Elbow-room, room to extend one's elbows and so ample room for action, is from the 1530s.^[3] A sharp bend in a river or road is from 1591,^[6] and an angled length of pipe from 1777.^[6] Out at elbows (1620s) meant literally having holes in one's coat.^[3] The verb, to push with the elbow, is from 1605, in Shakespeare's King Lear,^[2][3] and figurative use from 1863.^[3] Elbow grease, hard rubbing, is from 1672, in Andrew Marvell.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 1000 – elnboga.^[6][2]
• 1530s – elbow-room.^[3]
• 1591 – a bend in a river or road.^[6]
• 1605 – to elbow (verb).^[2]
• 1672 – elbow grease.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
2. The part of a sleeve that covers the elbow.
3. Something bent like an elbow, as a sharp bend in a road or a angled length of pipe.

Verb

1. To push or jostle with the elbow; to force one's way.

Word family

• elbowroom
• elbow grease
• tennis elbow

Related words

• ell
• bow
• ulna

Usage notes

In Lakeland, Yorkshire and Pembrokeshire dialect, to be all arms and elbows meant to be clumsy or awkward.^[7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)