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noun B1 Intermediate Common

wrist

rihst

Wrist (noun) means the joint connecting the hand to the forearm. Example: “She sprained her wrist falling off her bike.”

noun
1
The joint connecting the hand to the forearm.
"She sprained her wrist falling off her bike."

How to use wrist

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe joint between your hand and your arm.

Common pairings
sprain a wrist flick of the wrist wrist strap

Word forms

wristed past tense, wrists plural, wrists singular

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Test yourself on “wrist” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

She sprained her _____ falling off her bike.

Etymology

From Middle English wrist, from Old English wrist, from Proto-West Germanic *wristu, from Proto-Germanic *wristuz (compare Old Frisian wrist, Low German Wrist, German Rist (“back of hand, instep, withers”), Swedish vrist), from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to twist, turn”). More at writhe.

Origin: Middle English

Related words

Rhymes for wrist

See all rhymes for wrist →

Frequently asked questions

What does “wrist” mean?

The word “wrist” means the joint connecting the hand to the forearm. In plain terms, the joint between your hand and your arm.

How do you pronounce “wrist”?

“Wrist” is pronounced rihst (/ɹɪst/ in IPA).

How do you use “wrist” in a sentence?

Here is “wrist” used in a sentence: “She sprained her wrist falling off her bike.”

What part of speech is “wrist”?

“Wrist” is a noun.

Is “wrist” a common word?

“Wrist” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Is the wrist part of the hand or the arm?

The wrist is the joint connecting the hand to the forearm, so it is the boundary between the two rather than belonging fully to either. In everyday speech people often treat the wrist as the base of the hand. Anatomically it is described as the region where the forearm meets the hand.

Is it wristwatch or wrist watch?

The standard modern spelling is wristwatch, written as one word. It names a watch worn on a strap or band around the wrist. Dictionaries list the closed form, though the two-word spelling appears in older writing.

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial · etymology from Wiktionary