n 1  :  the part of the leg behind the knee  :  the hollow of the knee  :  POPLITEAL SPACE  2  :  a buttock with its associated thigh or with the posterior part of a thigh - usu. used in pl.  3  :  a hock or the hinder part of a hock .
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.