SHOULDER


Meaning of SHOULDER in English

I. ˈshōl-dər noun

Etymology: Middle English sholder, from Old English sculdor; akin to Old High German scultra shoulder

Date: before 12th century

1.

a. : the laterally projecting part of the human body formed of the bones and joints with their covering tissue by which the arm is connected with the trunk

b. : the region of the body of nonhuman vertebrates that corresponds to the shoulder but is less projecting

2.

a. : the two shoulders and the upper part of the back — usually used in plural

b. plural : capacity for bearing a task or blame

placed the guilt squarely on his shoulder s

3. : a cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg and adjacent parts — see lamb illustration

4. : the part of a garment at the wearer's shoulder

5. : an area adjacent to or along the edge of a higher, more prominent, or more important part: as

a.

(1) : the part of a hill or mountain near the top

(2) : a lateral protrusion or extension of a hill or mountain

b. : either edge of a roadway ; specifically : the part of a roadway outside of the traveled way

6. : a rounded or sloping part (as of a stringed instrument or a bottle) where the neck joins the body

• shoul·dered -dərd adjective

II. verb

( shoul·dered ; shoul·der·ing -d(ə-)riŋ)

Date: 14th century

transitive verb

1. : to push or thrust with or as if with the shoulder : jostle

shoulder ed his way through the crowd

2.

a. : to place or bear on the shoulder

shoulder ed her knapsack

b. : to assume the burden or responsibility of

shoulder the blame

intransitive verb

: to push with or as if with the shoulders aggressively

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.