Joint, n. 1. [Jag
a notch.] A projecting or retreating part in something; any
irregularity of line or surface, as in a wall. [Now Chiefly U.
S.]
2. (Theaters) A narrow piece of
scenery used to join together two flats or wings of an interior
setting.
3. A place of low resort, as for smoking
opium. [Slang]
Joint (joint), n. [F. joint, fr.
joindre, p. p. joint. See Join.]
1. The place or part where two things or
parts are joined or united; the union of two or more smooth or even
surfaces admitting of a close-fitting or junction; junction; as, a
joint between two pieces of timber; a joint in a
pipe.
2. A joining of two things or parts so as to
admit of motion; an articulation, whether movable or not; a hinge;
as, the knee joint; a node or joint of a stem; a ball
and socket joint. See Articulation.
A scaly gauntlet now, with joints of steel,
Must glove this hand.
Shak.
To tear thee joint by
joint.
Milton.
3. The part or space included between two
joints, knots, nodes, or articulations; as, a joint of cane or
of a grass stem; a joint of the leg.
4. Any one of the large pieces of meat, as
cut into portions by the butcher for roasting.
5. (Geol.) A plane of fracture, or
divisional plane, of a rock transverse to the
stratification.
6. (Arch.) The space between the
adjacent surfaces of two bodies joined and held together, as by means
of cement, mortar, etc.; as, a thin joint.
7. The means whereby the meeting surfaces of
pieces in a structure are secured together.
Coursing joint (Masonry), the mortar
joint between two courses of bricks or stones. -- Fish
joint, Miter joint, Universal
joint, etc. See under Fish, Miter,
etc. -- Joint bolt, a bolt for fastening
two pieces, as of wood, one endwise to the other, having a nut
embedded in one of the pieces. -- Joint chair
(Railroad), the chair that supports the ends of abutting
rails. -- Joint coupling, a universal
joint for coupling shafting. See under Universal. --
Joint hinge, a hinge having long leaves; a
strap hinge. -- Joint splice, a
reënforce at a joint, to sustain the parts in their true
relation. -- Joint stool. (a)
A stool consisting of jointed parts; a folding stool.
Shak. (b) A block for supporting the end
of a piece at a joint; a joint chair. -- Out of
joint, out of place; dislocated, as when the head of a
bone slips from its socket; hence, not working well together;
disordered. "The time is out of joint." Shak.
Joint (joint), a. [F., p. p. of
joindre. See Join.]
1. Joined; united; combined; concerted; as,
joint action.
2. Involving the united activity of two or
more; done or produced by two or more working together.
I read this joint effusion twice
over.
T. Hook.
3. United, joined, or sharing with another or
with others; not solitary in interest or action; holding in common
with an associate, or with associates; acting together; as,
joint heir; joint creditor; joint debtor,
etc. "Joint tenants of the world." Donne.
4. Shared by, or affecting two or more; held
in common; as, joint property; a joint bond.
A joint burden laid upon us all.
Shak.
Joint committee (Parliamentary Practice),
a committee composed of members of the two houses of a
legislative body, for the appointment of which concurrent resolutions
of the two houses are necessary. Cushing. --
Joint meeting, or Joint session,
the meeting or session of two distinct bodies as one; as, a
joint meeting of committees representing different
corporations; a joint session of both branches of a State
legislature to chose a United States senator. "Such joint
meeting shall not be dissolved until the electoral votes are all
counted and the result declared." Joint Rules of Congress, U.
S. -- Joint resolution (Parliamentary
Practice), a resolution adopted concurrently by the two
branches of a legislative body. "By the constitution of the
United States and the rules of the two houses, no absolute
distinction is made between bills and joint resolutions."
Barclay (Digest). -- Joint rule
(Parliamentary Practice), a rule of proceeding adopted by
the concurrent action of both branches of a legislative
assembly. "Resolved, by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), that the sixteenth and seventeenth joint rules be
suspended for the remainder of the session." Journal H. of R., U.
S. -- Joint and several (Law), a
phrase signifying that the debt, credit, obligation, etc., to which
it is applied is held in such a way that the parties in interest are
engaged both together and individually thus a joint and
several debt is one for which all the debtors may be sued
together or either of them individually. -- Joint
stock, stock held in company. -- Joint-
stock company (Law), a species of partnership,
consisting generally of a large number of members, having a capital
divided, or agreed to be divided, into shares, the shares owned by
any member being usually transferable without the consent of the
rest. -- Joint tenancy (Law), a
tenure by two or more persons of estate by unity of interest, title,
time, and possession, under which the survivor takes the whole.
Blackstone. -- Joint tenant (Law),
one who holds an estate by joint tenancy.
Joint, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Jointed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Jointing.]
1. To unite by a joint or joints; to fit
together; to prepare so as to fit together; as, to joint
boards.
Pierced through the yielding planks of jointed
wood.
Pope.
2. To join; to connect; to unite; to
combine.
Jointing their force 'gainst
Cæsar.
Shak.
3. To provide with a joint or joints; to
articulate.
The fingers are jointed together for
motion.
Ray.
4. To separate the joints; of; to divide at
the joint or joints; to disjoint; to cut up into joints, as
meat. "He joints the neck." Dryden.
Quartering, jointing, seething, and
roasting.
Holland.
Joint, v. i. To fit as if by
joints; to coalesce as joints do; as, the stones joint,
neatly.
Joint, n. 1. [Jag
a notch.] A projecting or retreating part in something; any
irregularity of line or surface, as in a wall. [Now Chiefly U.
S.]
2. (Theaters) A narrow piece of
scenery used to join together two flats or wings of an interior
setting.
3. A place of low resort, as for smoking
opium. [Slang]
