A shoulder is the joint where your arm connects to your body, and the area around it. It can also mean the edge or side of a road where cars can stop.
“Shoulder” comes from Old English “sculdor,” referring to the upper part of the back and the joint for the arm. It’s related to other Germanic words about the shoulder or upper body. The road sense developed later by analogy, as the ‘side’ that supports the main road.
Expressions like ‘shoulder responsibility’ or ‘shoulder the burden’ come from the very physical act of carrying weight on your shoulders. Even the ‘shoulder of the road’ is like the body part that supports and protects the more delicate center. The word keeps its core image of support and load-bearing in all its uses.
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