Emily Dickinson Lexicon

JOINT, n. [Fr. joint; Sp. junta, juntura; It. giuntura; L. junctura. See Join.]

1. The joining of two or more things.
2. In anatomy, the joining of two or more bones; an articulation; as the elbow, the knee, or the knuckle.
3. A knot; the union of two parts of a plant; or the space between two joints; an internode; as, the joint of a cane, or of a stalk of maiz.
4. A hinge; a juncture of parts which admits of motion.
5. The place where two pieces of timber are united.
6. In joinery, straight lines are called a joint, when two pieces of wood are planed. Moxon.
7. One of the limbs of an animal cut up by the butcher. Out of joint, luxated; dislocated; as when the head of a bone is displaced from its socket. Hence figuratively, confused; disordered; misplaced.

JOINT, v.t.

1. To form with joints or articulations; used mostly in the participle; as, the fingers are jointed; a cane has a jointed stalk.
2. To form many parts into one; as, jointed wood. Dryden.
3. To cut or divide into joints or quarters. Dryden.

JOINT'ED, pp.

1. Formed with articulations, as the stem of a plant.
2. Separated into joints or quarters.

JOINT'ED-LY, adv.

By joints. Smith.

JOINT'ER, n.

A long plane, a joiner's utensil.

JOINT'-HEIR, n. [joint and heir.]

An heir having a joint interest with another. Rom. viii.

JOINT'ING, n.

The making of a joint.

JOINT'LY, adv.

1. Together; unitedly; in concert; with cooperation.
2. With union of interest; as, to be jointly concerned in a voyage.

JOINT'RESS, a.

A woman who has a jointure. Blackstone.

JOINT'STOOL, n.

A stool consisting of parts inserted in each other. South.

JOINT-TEN'AN-CY, n. [joint and tenant.]

A tenure of estate by unity of interest, title, time and possession. Blackstone.

JOINT-TEN'ANT, a. [joint and tenant.]

One who holds an estate by joint-tenancy.

JOINT'URE, n. [Fr.]

An estate in lands or tenements, settled on a woman its consideration of marriage, and which she is to enjoy after her husband's decease. Blackstone.

JOINT'URE, v.t.

To settle a jointure upon. Cowley.

JOINT'UR-ED, pp.

Endowed with a jointure.

JOINT'UR-ING, ppr.

Endowing with a jointure.

JOIST, n. [Scot. geist or gest. Qu. Fr. gesir, to lie.]

A small piece of timber, such as is framed into the girders and summers of a building to support a floor. Encyc.

JOIST, v.t.

To fit in joists; to lay joists.

JOIST'ED, pp.

Fitted in joists.

JOIST'ING, ppr.

Laying joists.

JOKE, n. [L. jocus; Dan. giek, a joke; giekker, to joke; Sw. gäcka, to ridicule; G. schäkern.]

1. A jest; something said for the sake of exciting a laugh; something witty or sportive; raillery. A jealous person will rarely bear a joke.
2. An illusion; something not real, or to no purpose. Inclose whole downs in walls, 'tis all a joke! Pope. A practical joke is a trick played on a person, sometimes to the injury or annoyance of his body. In joke, in jest; for the sake of raising a laugh; not in earnest.

JOKE, v.i. [L. jocor.]

To jest; to be merry in words or actions.

JOKE, v.t.

To rally; to cast jokes at; to make merry with.

JOK-ED, pp.

Jested; rallied; made merry with.

JOK-ER, n.

A jester; a merry fellow. Dennis.