I. ˈshin noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English shine, from Old English scinu; akin to Middle Dutch schene shin, Old High German scina shin, needle, Swedish dialect skener iceskate, Norwegian dialect skina thin plate or disk, Old English scēadan to divide, separate — more at shed
1.
a.
(1) : the front part of the vertebrate leg below the knee
(2) : the front edge of the tibia
(3) : the lower part of the leg
b. : the lower part of the foreleg in beef cattle ; specifically : a cut of meat consisting of a cross section of lower-leg bone and muscle used for boiling or braising
c. : tibia 1b
2. archaic : the ridge of a hill
3. : the lower forward corner of a plow moldboard
II. verb
( shinned ; shinned ; shinning ; shins )
intransitive verb
1. : to use the shins in climbing : climb (as a mast, tree, rope) by embracing alternately with the arms or hands and legs without help (as of steps or spurs)
shinned down a drainpipe — Frank O'Connor
still building bridges, but was not shinning up cables — Allan Seager
2. : to move forward rapidly on foot
was up in a second and shinning down the hill — Mark Twain
transitive verb
1. : to kick or strike on the shins
been well shinned half a dozen times in scrimmages at football — Samuel Butler †1902
2. : to climb up or down by shinning
reached the open window by shinning the tree
III. “, ˈshēn noun
( -s )
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: Japanese, literally, belief, faith
: a major Japanese Buddhist sect growing out of Jodo that emphasizes salvation by faith alone, has a married clergy, and holds to the exclusive worship of Amida Buddha — called also Shin-shu
IV. ˈshēn also ˈshin noun
( -s )
Etymology: Hebrew shīn, literally, tooth
1. : the 22d letter of the Hebrew alphabet — symbol שׁ; see alphabet table
2. : the letter corresponding to Hebrew shin in the Phoenician or in any of various other Semitic alphabets