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Added 9 October 2026

shoulder

/ˈʃəʊldə/ noun

In Latin: scapula Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about shoulder at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The part of the body between the neck and the upper arm.
A cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg.
A ball-and-socket joint between the head of the humerus and a cavity of the scapula.

verb

Lift onto one's shoulders.
Push with the shoulders.
He shouldered his way into the crowd
Carry a burden, either real or metaphoric.
shoulder the burden

Origin

From Middle English schuldre, sholder, shulder, schulder, from Old English sċuldra, sċuldor (“shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *skuldru (“shoulder”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skelduz (“shield”), see shield. Cognate with Old Frisian skuldere (“shoulder”) (West Frisian skouder (“shoulder”)), Middle Low German scholder (“shoulder”), Low German Schuller, Schulder (“shoulder”), Dutch schouder (“shoulder”), German Schulter (“shoulder”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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