The knuckles are the joints of the fingers, which are brought into prominence when the hand is shut. The word is derived from the diminutive of a word for bone, found in German Knochen. Medically, it is said that the knuckles are formed by the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of the finger.
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
