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shoulder

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The shoulder is the joint that connects the arm with the body, or the part of body that includes this joint and the muscles up to the base of the neck.

(noun)

An example of a shoulder is where a person hangs the strap on a purse.

Shoulder is defined as to be weighed down, troubled or burdened by something.

(verb)

An example of shoulder are polar bears being negatively affected by the effects of global climate change; to shoulder the effects.

See shoulder in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

1. the joint connecting the arm or forelimb with the body
2. the part of the body including this joint and extending to the base of the neck
the two shoulders and the part of the back between them: often used figuratively with reference to this region as a place where burdens are often carried
a cut of meat consisting of the upper foreleg and attached parts
the part of a garment that covers the shoulder
something like a shoulder in shape or position; shoulderlike projection
that part of the top of a piece of type which extends beyond the base of the raised character
☆ the strip of land along the edge of a paved road; berm

Origin: ME schuldere < OE sculdor, akin to Ger schulter < IE *skḷdhrā, shoulder blade used as a spade < base *(s)kel-, to cut > shell, shilling, skull

transitive verb

to push or thrust along or through, with or as with the shoulder: to shoulder one's way through a crowd
to take or carry upon the shoulder
to assume the burden of

intransitive verb

to push with the shoulder or shoulders

See shoulder in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. The joint connecting the arm with the torso.
b. The part of the human body between the neck and upper arm.
a. The joint of a vertebrate animal that connects the forelimb to the trunk.
b. The part of an animal near this joint.
c. The part of a bird's wing between the wrist and the trunk.
The area of the back from one shoulder to the other. Often used in the plural.
A cut of meat including the joint of the foreleg and adjacent parts.
The portion of a garment that covers the shoulder.
An angled or sloping part, as:
a. The angle between the face and flank of a bastion in a fortification.
b. The area between the body and neck of a bottle or vase.
The area of an item or object that serves as an abutment or surrounds a projection, as:
a. The end surface of a board from which a tenon projects.
b. Printing The flat surface on the body of type that extends beyond the letter or character.
The edge or border running on either side of a roadway.