Main Entry: ¹shoul·der

Pronunciation: \ˈshōl-dər\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English sholder, from Old English sculdor; akin to Old High German scultra shoulder

Date: before 12th century

1 a : the laterally projecting part of the human body formed of the bones and joints with their covering tissue by which the arm is connected with the trunk b : the region of the body of nonhuman vertebrates that corresponds to the shoulder but is less projecting
2 a : the two shoulders and the upper part of the back —usually used in plural b plural : capacity for bearing a task or blame <placed the guilt squarely on his shoulders>
3 : a cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg and adjacent parts — see lamb illustration
4 : the part of a garment at the wearer's shoulder
5 : an area adjacent to or along the edge of a higher, more prominent, or more important part: as a (1) : the part of a hill or mountain near the top (2) : a lateral protrusion or extension of a hill or mountain b : either edge of a roadway; specifically : the part of a roadway outside of the traveled way
6 : a rounded or sloping part (as of a stringed instrument or a bottle) where the neck joins the body

— shoul·dered \-dərd\ adjective