knee

1. (anatomy) In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.Examples: "Penny was wearing a miniskirt, so she skinned her exposed knees when she fell."; "He made him ſtoup perforce vnto his knee, / And doe vnwilling worſhip to the Saint, / That on his ſhield depainted he did ſee[…]"; "KORRIS: I have tasted your heart. You have been with them, but you are still "of" us. Do not deny the challenge of your destiny. Get off your knees and soar. Open your eyes and let the dream take flight."

2. In birds:

3. (shipbuilding) A piece of timber or metal formed with an angle somewhat in the shape of the human knee when bent.Examples: "Deck beams were supported by hanging knees, triangular pieces of wood typically found underneath the timbers they are designed to support, but in this case found above them."

4. (archaic) An act of kneeling, especially to show respect or courtesy.Examples: "Give them title, knee, and approbation."; "[…] and he made a knee to the Caesar of Patna, giving that man all honour due to him."archaic

5. (figurative) The presence of a parent etc., where a young child acquires early knowledge.Examples: "The duty is, or should be, a thing taught at one's father's knee, and the structure of the family gently enforces it."; "This has significant implications for sacramental theology which it seems Pusey even realised in the way he spoke of his early life and of learning all he knew about the Eucharist and the Catholic faith at his mother's knee, […]"figuratively