Knot

Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
mnichols0
Junior Lexiterian
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2022 2:51 am

Knot

Postby mnichols0 » Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:41 pm

Knot is a word that can serve as a noun, a verb or as the focus of many phrases. As such, it has a large number of definitions. The most common meaning is "a fastening made by tying a piece of string, rope, or something similar."

Knot has come down to us from Old English cnotta, which is of West Germanic origin and related to Dutch knot.

How was the "c" at the beginning of the Old English cnotta transformed into a "k?" The same question applies to the word "knight," which derives from the OE cniht. Somebody, anybody, lighten my darkness!

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8014
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: Knot

Postby Slava » Thu Jan 26, 2023 9:01 pm

Knot has come down to us from Old English cnotta, which is of West Germanic origin and related to Dutch knot.

How was the "c" at the beginning of the Old English cnotta transformed into a "k?" The same question applies to the word "knight," which derives from the OE cniht. Somebody, anybody, lighten my darkness!
If I understand correctly, the answer to your question is actually in the paragraph before it. The Old English got it from West Germanic and Dutch, where it was kn-. The Old English are the ones that changed it to a 'c' from a 'k', not the other way around. The New English just put it back the way it was.

Hope that helps.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


Return to “Good Word Suggestions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests