knucklebone

noun

knuck·​le·​bone ˈnək-əl-ˌbōn How to pronounce knucklebone (audio)
1
: a bone (such as a metatarsus or metacarpus of a sheep) used in games and formerly in divination
2
knucklebones plural in form but singular in construction : a game played with knucklebones or jacks

Examples of knucklebone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But scientists still debate whether our close human relatives actually carved the knucklebone for a more practical purpose. Matthew Twombly, National Geographic, 8 Dec. 2021 To win, players raced their opponent to the opposite end of the board, moving pieces according to knucklebone dice rolls. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2020 As a onetime priest, McLaughlin would have undoubtedly understood the desire to possess a relic from a venerated figure, like a saint’s knucklebone or a sliver of the true cross. John Kelly, Washington Post, 4 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of knucklebone was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near knucklebone

Cite this Entry

“Knucklebone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knucklebone. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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