колљно knee; lap

knee
Колљни у негћ дрожђли. His knees shook.
lap
Ћн положќл гћлову љй на колљни и заплђкал. He lay his head in her lap and wept.

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the use of the word колљно to refer to human knees. This word does not refer to animals. In its plural form колљни this word is also used to refer to the front part of the human body (from the waist to the knees) when in sitting position ("lap"). This usage is also described in this entry. The word колљно is also used to refer to the part of the clothing that covers the knee, e.g. Нџ и брєки у тебї! Колљни протёрлись. "Look at your pants! Worn through at the knees." This meaning, and also the meaning "bend (of a pipe, river, etc.)," e.g. колљно водостћчной трубІ "elbow (of a water pipe)," and the meaning "generation," e.g. брђт во вторнћм колљне "first cousin twice removed," are not described in this dictionary.

Morphology

колљно SS NPlur. колљни, GPlur. колљней; n.in.noun

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose knee it is
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive
Колљни Пљти бІли в ссђдинах. Petya's knees were scratched up.
Колљни егћ дрожђли. His knees shook.
NB When the word колљно functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction колљно у + Genitive is often preferred to (a) and (b), above:
Колљни у негћ дрожђли. His knees shook.

Restrictive modifiers

(a) adjectival modifier
(b) noun phrase: Adj + Genitive of ногђ
(c) prepositional phrase: на + Adj + Prepositional of ногђ
лљвое/прђвое колљно the left/right knee
Лљвое колљно у негћ бІло в ссђдинах. His left knee was scratched up.
тћ колљно, котћрое бІло мнљ вќдно the knee I could see
колљно лљвой ногќ the knee on the left leg
колљно на лљвой ногљ the knee on the left leg

Lexical Relationships

Diminutives

колљнка; колљночка not Common knee

Syntactic derivatives

колљнный knee (as modifier)
колљнный сустђв the knee joint

Parts

колљнная чђшечка kneecap
менќск meniscus

What it is a part of

ногђ leg
колљно лљвой ногќg the knee on the left leg
Appearance and conditions

Shape

пћлные колљни soft, round knees
худІе колљни skinny knees
костлївые колљни bony knees
крџглые колљни; окрџглые колљни rounded knees
ћстрые колљни pointy knees
Ќз-под одеїла торчђли ћстрые колљни больнћго. The patient's bony knees stuck out from under the blanket.

Other properties

глђдкие колљни smooth knees
гћлые колљни bare knees

Medical conditions; sustaining injuries

болљть/заболљть [Pf-begin]: у Ng колљноn болќт N's knee hurts
распухђть/распџхнуть: у Ng колљноn распџхло;
опухђть/опџхнуть: у Ng колљноn опџхло 		N's knee is swollen
распџхшее колљно; опџхшее колљно a swollen knee
сгибђться [no Pf.]: у Ng колљноn не сгибђется N's knee does not bend
ушибђть/ушибќть (себљd) колљноa to injure one's knee
Ћн упђл и сќльно ушќб колљно. He fell and injured his knee badly.
ударїть/удђрить (себљd) колљноa;
ударїться/удђриться колљномi;
стџкаться/стџкнуться колљномi 		to bump one's knee
разбивђть/разбќть Nd/(себљd) колљноa to scrape and bruise N's/one's knee
разбќтое колљно a scraped and bruised knee
обдирђть/ободрђть Nd/(себљd) колљноa to scrape N's/one's knee
ссђдина на колљнеp a scrape on one's knee
рвђть/порвђть свїзкиa to tear one's ligaments
разрІв менќскаg a tear in the meniscus (i.e. the cartilage of the knee)

Sensations caused by emotional or physical states

подгибђться [no Pf.]: у Ng колљниn подгибђются;
подкђшиваться/подкосќться: у Ng колљниn подкђшиваются 		N's knees give way
NB The above expressions are used to describe a symptom of fear, weakness, or emotional shock. The expression нћги подкђшиваются "one's legs give out" is used more frequently in this meaning.
дрожђть/задрожђть [Pf-begin]: у Ng колљниn дрожђт;
трястќсь/затрястќсь [Pf-begin]: у Ng колљниn трясџтся 		N's knees shake
NB The above expressions describe a symptom of fear or fatigue.

Movements, gestures, and positions

сгибђть/согнџть колљноa (or колљниa);
сгибђть/согнџть нћгуa (or нћгиa) в колљнеp 		to bend one's knee/knees
разгибђть/разогнџть колљноa (or колљниa) to straighten one's knee/knees
сжимђть/сжђть колљниa to press one's knees together
сжђтые колљни knees that are pressed together
расставлїть/расстђвить колљниa;
раздвигђть/раздвќнуть колљниa Informal 		to spread one's knees
высокћ поднимђть/поднїть колљниa to lift one's knees high
NB The above expression is used to describe a way of walking, e.g. a parade march.
преклонїть/преклонќть пљред Ni колљноa (or колљниa) Bookish;
вставђть/встђть пљред Ni на колљноa (or колљниa);
становќться/стђть пљред Ni на колљниa;
опускђться/опустќться пљред Ni на колљниa;
бросђться/брћситься пљред Ni на колљниa;
пђдать/упђсть пљред Ni на колљниa 		to kneel before N, to fall to one's knees before N
NB The above expressions usually describe a position of supplication or a declaration of love.
стоїть [no Pf.] на колљняхp (перед Ni) to kneel, to be on one's knees (before N)
NB The above expression is usually used to describe a position assumed while praying or begging.
просќть [no Pf.] на колљняхp to beg (lit. "to ask while on one's knees")
пћлзать [no Pf.] перед Ni на колљняхp to crawl before N
NB The above expressions are usually used in the figurative sense, to describe a humble request.
вставђть/встђть с колљнg;
поднимђться/поднїться с колљнg 		to get up from a kneeling position
стђвить/постђвить Na на колљниa to make N kneel
NB The above expression is used to describe a child's punishment, or figuratively, to mean to subordinate someone to oneself.
садќться/сљсть Nd на колљниa to sit on N's lap
сажђть/посадќть Na на колљниa to seat N on one's lap
держђть [no Pf.] Na на колљняхp to hold N on one's lap
клђсть/положќть рџкиa на колљниa to place one's hands on one's knees/lap
склђдывать/сложќть рџкиa на колљняхp to fold one's hands on one's lap
ронїть/уронќть рџкиa на колљниa to let one's hands drop into one's lap
NB The above expression is usually used to describe a gesture of despair, fatigue, or helplessness.
клђсть/положќть Nd гћловуa на колљниa to put one's head on N's lap
утыкђться/уткнџться Nd головћйi в колљниa to bury one's head in N's lap
Мђльчик уткнџлся головћй в её колљни (or уткнџлся ей головћй в колљни) и зарыдђл. The little boy buried his head in her lap and burst into tears.
клђсть/положќть Na на колљниa to put N in one's lap
Ћн сљл и положќл шђпку на колљни. He sat down and put his hat in his lap.
обнимђть/обнїть рукђмиi колљниa;
обхвђтывать/обхватќть рукђмиi колљниa 		to hug one's knees
На фотогрђфии мђть сидќт на нќзкой скамљйке, обнївши рукђми колљни и смћтрит прїмо перед собћй. In the picture, Mother is sitting on a low stool, hugging her knees, and staring straight ahead.

Other expressions

бІть по колљноa to be knee-high
У бљрега водђ былђ мнљ по колљно. Near the shore the water was up to my knees.
стоїть [no Pf.] по колљноa в Np to stand up to one's knees in N
NB N = водђ "water," грїзь "mud," песћк "sand," etc.
входќть/войтќ в Na по колљноa to go into N up to one's knees
идтќ [no Pf.] по колљноa в Np to walk in N up to one's knees
NB N = водђ "water," грїзь "mud":
Онќ шлќ по колљно в водљ. They were walking in water up to their knees.
N до колљнg N to one's knees, knee-length
NB N = плђтье "a dress," єбка "a skirt," сапогќ "boots," носкќ "socks," etc.
N вІше колљнg N above the knee
NB N = плђтье "a dress," єбка "a skirt," сапогќ "boots," etc.
N нќже колљнg N below the knee
NB N = плђтье "a dress," єбка "a skirt," сапогќ "boots," etc.

Sample texts

Едќнственное, о чём Лћ мечтђет, — іто дрІгать под джђзовую мџзыку или гарцевђть в спортќвных шљствиях, высокћ поднимђя колљни и жонглќруя пђлочкой [В. Набћков, Лолќта] All she [Lo] wanted from life was to be a jitterbug or a strutting and prancing baton twirler, lifting her knees high and juggling a baton. [V. Nabokov, Lolita]
... смђхивая на стђрого подбќтого ќдола, ћн сидљл, положќв на колљни пџхлые рџки ... [В. Набћков, Лолќта] He looked like some battered old idol as he sat with his pudgy hands in his lap. [V. Nabokov, Lolita]
Пугачёв взглянџл грћзно на Швђбрина... Швђбрин упђл на колљни. [А. Пџшкин, Капитђнская дћчка] Pugachev looked menacingly at Shvabrin... Shvabrin fell to his knees. [A. Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter"]
Сљл на сырџю зљмлю, обхватќл рукђми колљни, уронќл на нќх гћлову и тђк и просидљл до џтренней зарќ. [В. Шукшќн, Стёпкина любћвь] He sat down on the damp earth, hugged his knees, and let his head drop. He sat that way until the first rays of dawn. [V. Shukshin, "Styopka's Love"]
Онђ опустќлась на колљни перед лежђвшим на землљ рђненым. She knelt by the wounded man lying on the ground.