Shin is the front part of your lower leg, the bony area between your knee and ankle. If you run your hand down the front of your leg below your knee, you'll feel a hard ridge just under the skin. That's your shin bone, also called the tibia, one of the strongest bones in your body.

The shin has almost no padding or muscle to protect it, which is why banging your shin against something hurts so much. Anyone who's ever walked into a coffee table edge or caught their shin on a bicycle pedal knows that sharp, surprising pain. Soccer players often wear shin guards to protect this vulnerable area from getting kicked during games.

The word can also be a verb meaning to climb something by gripping it with your hands and legs and shimmying up. Kids might shin up a tree or a rope in gym class, using their arms and legs together to pull themselves higher. When someone shins up a pole, they wrap their legs around it and inch their way up.