a1325 (Cambr.) (1929) l. 79 La fourcele, kanel-bon [a1333 BL Add. canebon, a1400 Paris canelbon, a1425 All Souls cheke-bone].
c1390 in C. Horstmann (1892) i. 128 (MED) Blessed beo, ladi, þi scholdres two, And þi cleer Canelbonus also.
a1450 ( G. Chaucer (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 943 Hit [sc. her neck] was white smothe streght and pure flat Withoute hole or canell bone.
c1475 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Taylor) in J. Robson (1842) 19 The squrd squappes in toe, His canel-bone allsoe, And cleuet his schild clene.
1488 (c1478) Hary (Adv.) (1968–9) v. l. 823 Baith cannell bayne [1st ed. 1570 collar-bane] and schuldir blaid in twa, Throuch the myd cost the gud suerd gart he ga.
1548 W. Patten sig. E.iii. The lorde hume him self for hast in this flight had a fall from his horse, and burst so the canell bone of his neck, that he was fayn to be caryed straight to Edenborowe.
1577 sig. G.iiiv In the shoulder there be two bones,..the Shoulder bone, and the Cannel bone.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch 409 His cannell bone was broken which knitteth the two shoulders together in the forepart.
1611 R. Cotgrave Clavicules, the kannell bones, channell bones, necke-bones, craw-bones; extending (on each side one) from the bottome of the throat vnto the top of the shoulder.
1658 E. Phillips Cannel bone, the neckbone or wind-pipe, so called from its likeness to a gutter or cannel.
1666 J. Smith 60 The Clavicle or kennel bone..is so directly laid cross over it [sc. the shoulder joint], that it defends it from all external violence whatsoever.
1703 J. Moyle v. iii. 267 The Cannel Bone hath its latior Head joyned to the Acromium of the Shoulder.
1875 J. H. Nodal & G. Milner 69 Cannel-bone, the collar bone.
1881 ‘M. Twain’ xi. 105 Five nobles, in doublets of crimson velvet, voyded low on the back and before to the cannell-bone.