Added 7 October 2026
knot
/nɒt/ noun
In Latin: nōdus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about knot at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A looping of a piece of string or of any other long, flexible material that cannot be untangled without passing one or both ends of the material through its loops.
Climbers must make sure that all knots are both secure and of types that will not weaken the rope.
-
A tangled clump of hair or similar.
The nurse was brushing knots from the protesting child's hair.
- A maze-like pattern.
verb
-
To form into a knot; to tie with a knot or knots.
We knotted the ends of the rope to keep it from unravelling.
-
To form wrinkles in the forehead, as a sign of concentration, concern, surprise, etc.
She knotted her brow in concentration while attempting to unravel the tangled strands.
- To unite closely; to knit together.
noun
Origin
From Middle English knotte, from Old English cnotta, from Proto-West Germanic *knottō, from Proto-Germanic *knuttô, *knudô (“knot”); probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gnod- (“to bind”). See also Old High German knoto (German Knoten, Dutch knot, Low German Knütte; also Old Norse knútr > Danish knude, Swedish knut, Norwegian knute, Faroese knútur, Icelandic hnútur; also Latin nōdus and its Romance descendants. Doublet of knout, node, and nodus. * (unit of speed): From the practice of counting the number of knots in the logline (as it is paid out) in a standard time. Traditionally spaced at one every ¹⁄₁₂₀ of a mile.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)