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shin¹

(shĭn)

a. The front part of the leg below the knee and above the ankle.

b. The shinbone.

2. A cut of meat from the lower foreleg of beef cattle.

v. shinned, shin·ning, shins

v.tr.

1. To climb (a rope or pole, for example) by gripping and pulling alternately with the hands and legs.

2. To kick or hit in the shins.

v.intr.

1. To climb something by shinning it.

2. To move quickly on foot.

[Middle English shine, from Old English scinu; see skei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

shin²

(shēn, shĭn)

One of the two forms of the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, distinguished from the letter sin by having a dot above the right side of the letter. See Table at alphabet.

[Hebrew šîn, of Phoenician origin; see šnn in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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