# elbow

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɛlbəʊ̯/ · frequency rank #9,037

## Definitions
1. The joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
2. Any turn or bend like that of the elbow, in a wall, building, coastline, etc.; an angular or jointed part of any structure, such as the raised arm of a chair or sofa, or a short pipe fitting, turning at an angle or bent.
3. A detective.
4. Part of a basketball court located at the intersection of the free-throw line and the free-throw lane.
5. A hit, strike, or blow with the elbow.
6. Two nearby crossings of a rope.

## Etymology
From Middle English elbowe (“elbow”), from Old English elboga, elnboga (“elbow”), from Proto-Germanic *alinabugô (“elbow”), equivalent to ell + bow. Cognate with Scots elbuck (“elbow”), Saterland Frisian Älbooge (“elbow”), Dutch elleboog (“elbow”), Low German Ellebage (“elbow”), German Ellbogen, Ellenbogen (“elbow”), Danish and Norwegian albue (“elbow”), Faroese albogi, Icelandic olbogi, olnbogi (“elbow”), Swedish armbåge (“elbow”).

## Easily confused with
- **Elo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elbow-vs-elo)
- **elon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elbow-vs-elon)
- **Elmo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elbow-vs-elmo)
- **Elton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elbow-vs-elton)
- **Eldon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elbow-vs-eldon)
- **elbows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elbow-vs-elbows)
- **Elba** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/elba-vs-elbow)

## Common misspellings (6)
`elbbow`, `elboww`, `elbwo`, `ellbow`, `elobw`, `lebow`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/elbow