wrist English · revision 10541

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 940|origins=ang wrist}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /rɪst/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|ang|wrist]] (probably before 940),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from [[m|gem-pro|*wristiz]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) cognate with Old Frisian wrist, Middle Dutch wrist, Middle High German rist “wrist, ankle” (modern German Rist “instep”) and Old Norse rist “instep”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) It is related to Old English wrǣstan, to turn, twist (see [[wrest]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) and probably to the base of [[writhe]],^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) from a root meaning “to turn”, so that the notion is “the turning joint”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The joint between the forearm and the hand, before 940.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The part of a sleeve or glove that covers the wrist is from 1803.^(OED 1989) In late Middle English wrist could also mean the joint of the knee or thigh (about 1450),^(OED 1989) and ''wrist of the foot'', the ankle or instep, is from about 1530 and survived in dialect,^(OED 1989) recorded by Wright for Northumberland.^(Wright 1898) ''Wristband'' is from 1571,^(Barnhart 1988) ''wristlet'' from the 19th century,^(Hoad 1986) and ''wristwatch'' from 1896.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 940 – the joint of the hand and forearm.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1530 – wrist of the foot, the ankle.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1571 – wristband.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1803 – the wrist of a sleeve.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1896 – wristwatch.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[joint]] between the [[hand]] and the [[forearm]]; the [[carpus]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The part of a [[sleeve]] or [[glove]] that covers the wrist.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(machinery)'' A wrist pin, or a joint pivoting on one.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wristwatch]]

+ * [[wristlet]]

+ * [[wristlock]]

+ * [[limp-wristed]]

+ * [[wristband]]

+ * [[wristy]]

+ * [[wrist pin]]

+ * [[wrist plate]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[wrest]]

+ * [[writhe]]

+ * [[wrestle]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}