knucklebone
noun
knuck·le·bone
ˈnək-əl-ˌbōn 
1
: a bone (such as a metatarsus or metacarpus of a sheep) used in games and formerly in divination
2
Examples of knucklebone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But scientists still debate whether our close human relatives actually carved the knucklebone for a more practical purpose.
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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
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knucklebone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Knucklebone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knucklebone. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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