knotn.1
/nɒt/, U.S. /nɑt/ I. Senses relating to knotting and ties.figurative.18.. R. L. Stevenson Manse in Wks. (1894) Misc. I. 160 He [grandfather] moves in my blood..and sits efficient in the very knot and centre of my being.
1. † c. Astronomy. The star α Piscium, situated in the ‘tie’ of the lines or ribbons imagined to connect the two fishes in the constellation Pisces. Obsolete.
a. An intertwining or complication of the parts of one or more ropes, cords, or strips of anything flexible enough, made for the purpose of fastening them together or to another object, or to prevent slipping, and secured by being drawn tight; a tie in a rope, necktie, etc.; also, a tangle accidentally drawn tight. to make, †knit, or tie a knot (in), to knot a piece of string or a handkerchief, esp. as a reminder. Also in allusions to the knot in a halter for hanging.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > a bond, tie, or fastening > [noun] > knot
knotc1000
knottle?a1500
halsh1664
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 28 He afunde..þa snode mid eallum cnottum swa fæste gewriðen swa heo ær wæs.
c1290 Beket 1445 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 148 Þe knottes gnowen al is flechs: a-boute bi eche side.
14.. Chaucer's Sqr.'s T. 663 (Lansd.) Bot I wil here nowe maake a knotte To þe time it come next to my lotte.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 166 That he make a knot on his girdil.
1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 3 The bonde of euerywhiche faggotte to conteine three quarters of a yarde at the leaste, besyde the knotte.
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iv. iii. 147 This is Mounsieur Parrolles the gallant militarist,..that had the whole theoricke of warre in the knot of his scarfe. View more context for this quotation
1631 R. Bolton Instr. Right Comf. Affl. Consciences 322 One knot in a thread will stay the Needle's Passage, as wel as five hundred.
1647 A. Cowley Tree in Mistress v Go tye the dismal Knot (why shouldst thou live?).
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. xiv. 200 He tied sixty knots in a leathern thong, and bade them unfasten one every day, till the prescribed interval had expired.
1873 Act 36 & 37 Victoria c. 71 §39 Such mesh [in a net] shall not be less than one and a half inch from knot to knot.
b. Often with qualifying word, naming different forms of knots, as bowline, diamond, draw-, fisher's, French, granny's, loop-, reef-, riding, slip-, surgeon's, wall-, water-, weaver's knot, etc.; for the more important of these, see the first element. Also barber's knot.
ΚΠ
c1320 Sir Beues (MS. A) 3220 On a towaile ȝhe made knotte riding, Aboute his nekke ȝhe hit þrew.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Knotte whiche runneth to, called a rydynge knot, capulum.
1726 Four Years Voy. Capt. G. Roberts 112 And making a running bowling Knot on the End of another Rope, I cast it over.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Knot, a..knob formed on the extremity of a rope, by untwisting the ends..and interweaving them..amongst each other. There are several sorts,..the diamond-knot, the rose-knot, the wall-knot or walnut.
1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. (at cited word) Fig. 11, a Barber's knot, or a knot for cawls of wigs.
1813 J. Thomson Lect. Inflammation 267 We passed,..a crooked needle under the artery, threaded with a double waxed thread, part whereof we passed above the aperture in the vessel, and the other below, which were afterwards tied with a double knot called the surgeon's knot.
1860 All Year Round 28 July 382 ‘Which knot?’ asked Toby. ‘Single or double wall, single or double diamond, Matthew Walker, spritsail-sheet, stopper, or shroud?’
1881 Naval Encycl. 421 They [knots]..are named either from the manner in which they are made, or the use to which they are applied, as stopper knot, diamond knot, double-diamond knot, single and double wall knots, etc.
1899 W. G. P. Townsend Embroidery vi. 90 French Knots.—A very ancient stitch, much used by the Chinese for all kinds of elaborate embroidery.
1900 Home Needlework Mag. Oct. 3/1 Flowers are mostly worked in Satin stitch, highly raised... Flowers are embellished with French knots.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > constellation > zodiacal constellation > [noun] > Pisces > part of
knot1556
1556 R. Record Castle of Knowl. 267 The Fyshes, tyed by the tayles with a common Lyne:..and where those two lines are knitte togyther, there is one starre more, whiche is called the Knotte.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Pisces That [star] next the Knot in the North. Line... 1st before the Knot in the South. Line.
2.
a. Such a tie used or worn as an ornament or adjunct to a dress; a bow of ribbon; a cockade or epaulette; esp. in obsolete phrase a suit of knots.Often with distinctive premodifier: as breast knot, shoulder knot, sword knot, top knot, true-love knot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > knot or rosette
knota1400
jarbe1578
wedding-favour1681
cockade1709
cabbage1859
torsade1872
chou1883
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > knot or rosette > set of
a suit of knots1668
a1400–50 Alexander 4917 With cumly knottis & with koyntis & knopis of perle.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Knotte of a cap~bande, or hatbande, or lace.
1668 G. Etherege She wou'd if she Cou'd iii. i. 35 We will only fancy a suit of Knots or two At this Shop.
1708 Brit. Apollo 27–29 Oct. The Officers to wear..a mourning Knot on their left Arm.
1713 J. Gay in Guardian 1 Sept. 2/1 A Lady of Genius will give a genteel Air to her whole Dress by a well fancied Suit of Knots.
1891 Mrs. Newman Begun in Jest I. 209 Her grey morning gown, with its soft frillings of lace and knots of pale, coral-coloured ribbon.
b. Heraldry. (See quot. 1892.)
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > [noun] > cognizance > types of
scopperil1486
knot1828
mon1861
1828–40 W. Berry Encycl. Her.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. Prel. 20 The badge of the ‘Wake Knot’, in which..two monks' girdles are worked into the form of the letter W.
1892 J. Woodward & G. Burnett Treat. Heraldry II. 585 Knots of particular form were not infrequently used as badges; e.g. the Stafford knot, the Bourchier knot, the Wake and Ormond knot; in all these the silk is twined having some resemblance to the initial letter of the family name. In the Bowen knot the allusion is double, it is formed of four bows, or loops, and each bears a resemblance to one form of the Greek letter B. Knots were also used to unite the badges of two families which had merged into one; or the badge of an office to a personal one.
3.
a. Nautical. A piece of knotted string fastened to the log-line, one of a series fixed at such intervals that the number of them that run out while the sand-glass is running indicates the ship's speed in nautical miles per hour; hence, each of the divisions so marked on the log-line, as a measure of the rate of motion of the ship (or of a current, etc.). Also attributive with prefixed numeral = ‘running (so many) knots’.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > device to ascertain ship's speed through water > line of > piece of knotted line fixed to
knot1633
1633 T. James Strange Voy. 24 It did runne two knots.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. 146 The distance between every one of the Knots must be 50 Foot; as many of these as run out in half a Minute, so many Miles or Minutes the Ship saileth in an Hour.
1772 J. Adams in tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) I. 9 The distance between the knots on the log-line should contain 1/ 120 of a mile, supposing the glass to run exactly half a minute.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxvi. 87 A light wind..carrying us at the rate of four or five knots.
1860 Mercantile Marine Mag. 7 169 A ten-knot breeze was blowing.
1900 Daily News 10 Jan. 5/1 A torpedo-boat destroyer..had made a record speed of 35½ knots, which was almost exactly equal to 41 miles an hour.
b. Hence loosely used as if equivalent to ‘nautical mile’, in such phrases as 20 knots an hour.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > mile > nautical mile
geometrical1597
maritime mile1632
geometric1670
nautical mile1730
knot1748
nautic mile1762
sea-mile1796
air mile1919
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson i. iii. 24 The ship went ten knots an hour.
1778 J. Cook Jrnl. 28 June (1967) III. i. 391 We..came to an anchor in 28 fathom water, pretty near the South shore out of the strength of the Tide and yet we found it to run full five knots and a half.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. xix. 324 We were going twelve knots an hour, and running away from them as fast as we could.
c. at the rate of knots, very fast, quickly. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swiftly [phrase]
on fastec1275
as greyhound (let out) of leasha1300
a good (also great, etc.) shake13..
in hastec1300
(wiþ) gret yre13..
in speeda1325
good speeda1400
on (also upon) the wing or one's wing1508
with post1569
on or upon the speed1632
on the run?1679
by the run1787
like a house on fire (also afire)1809
at the double-quick1834
with a run1834
fast and furious1851
at the double1860
at the rate of knots1892
for (or on) the (high) jump1905
like blue murder1914
1892 R. Wardon Macpherson's Gully vi. 40 When she's [sc. the Teremakau river has] got her back up, travellin' in a hurry, like—tearin' along at the rate o' knots like she is to-day—..she's got to be treated with all doo respeck.
1921 ‘T. Collins’ Rigby's Romance xxxii. 222 I went for it at the rate of knots, with the fire lathering along behind me roaring like fury.
1932 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals 80 A natty little grey and black self-driven coupé came from Brighton way at the rate of knots.
1941 S. J. Baker N.Z. Slang vi. 53 To travel at the rate of knots.
4. A definite quantity of thread, yarn, etc., varying with the commodity, being a certain number of coils tied by a knot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > other measures or quantities of
lease1391
lea1399
knotc1540
needleful1598
cut1632
winch1640
slip1647
spangle1705
vat1730
pad1746
heer1774
count1837
c1540 Churchwardens' Accts. St. Dunstan's, Canterb. (MS) For a knott of sylke ijd.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 18 A loose kinde of two plette, which is usually solde for 3 halfe pence and sometimes for ijd. a knotte. There shoulde bee in everie knotte 18 fathomes.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. vi. 288/2 A knot is a Hundred Threds round the Reel, at which place Housewives make a Katch, as some call it, or a Knot, or an Hank.
1875 J. H. Temple & G. Sheldon Hist. Northfield, Mass. 161 A run of yarn consisted of twenty knots, a knot was composed of forty threads, and a thread was seventy-four inches in length, or once round the reel.
5. More fully porter's knot: ‘A kind of double shoulder-pad, with a loop passing round the forehead, the whole roughly resembling a horse-collar, used by London market-porters for carrying their burdens’ ( Encycl. Dict.).Perhaps originally a rope tied or knotted into a loop.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > shoulder pad
porter's knot1719
1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth V. 75 Tom the Porter, Companion of the Pot, Who stands in the Street with his Rope and Knot.
1793 J. Boswell Principal Corrections Life Johnson 1/2 Mr. Wilcox..eyed his robust frame attentively, and with a significant look, said, ‘You had better buy a porter's knot.’
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xlix. 220 Preceded by a man who carried the immense petition on a porter's knot through the lobby to the door of the House of Commons.
1866 Daily Tel. 12 Jan. 5/5 Fathers of families who should have carried porters' knots, so heavy was their fardel of toys.
6. A design or figure formed of crossing lines; an intricate flourish of the pen. †endless knot, the five-pointed figure consisting of a continuous self-crossing line, otherwise called pentacle, pentagram, or pentangle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > angularity > specific angular shape > [noun] > pentangle
endless knotc1400
pentanglec1400
pentacle1561
pentagonon?1585
pentalpha1724
pentagram1825
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced
fretc1385
friar knots1488
chainwork1551
knot1638
Gordian knotc1660
meander1706
entrelac1723
triquetra1845
knotwork1851
strapwork1854
Celtic knot1865
snake-knot1866
aligreek1867
plaitwork1871
honeycomb work1874
strap-ornament1895
honeycomb1924
society > communication > writing > written text > decoration > [noun] > flourish
dash1607
flourish1653
knota1680
purlicue1808
quirk1840
squirl1843
curlicue1844
line-filling1895
line-finishing1906
line-ending1928
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 630 Fyue poynteȝ, & vche lyne vmbe-lappeȝ & loukeȝ in oþer, & ay-quere hit is endeleȝ, & Englych hit callen Ouer-al, as I here, þe endeles knot.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 197 In blew, red, and yellow tinctures, commixt with Arabiq knots and letters.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 210 As Scriveners take more Pains to learn the Slight Of making Knots, than all the Hands they write.
7. A flower-bed laid out in a fanciful or intricate design; also, more generally, Any laid-out garden plot; a flower-knot. Now chiefly dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > division or part of garden > [noun] > bed or plot > flower-bed
arbourc1300
knot1502
cutwork1693
flower-border1712
panel1803
flower-court1828
mixed bed1866
flower-bed1873
carpet-bed1883
coffin1912
floral clock1925
1502 Acc. in A. Amherst Gardening (1895) 84 For diligence in making knottes in the Duke's garden. Clypping of knottes, and sweeping the said garden.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. ccxxxviii. f. clxv An howse wrought lykevnto a knot in a garden called a mase.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 65 Basyl..[is] an hearbe that is vsed to be set in the middest of knottes,..for the excellent sauoure that it hath.
1622 H. Peacham Compl. Gentleman xvi. 207 Here are the goodliest walkes in Europe, for the trees themselues are placed in curious knots as we vse to set our herbes in gardens.
1667 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) ii. v. 97 They do not water the Walks of the Garden, but only the Beds or Knots wherein the Flowers grow.
1737 G. Smith Curious Relations I. i. 49 The Borders of the Beds were lin'd with Box, and beautifully garnish'd with choice Flowers, as were the Knots, in each of which stood a handsome Pot of a choice foreign Plant.
1758 J. Armstrong Sketches 14 More pleasing and beautiful than that insipid, childish, uncomfortable Bawble called a Flower-knot.
1824 S. Ferrier Inheritance II. xxxvi. 399 I must see if my flower knots are arranging according to rule.
8. A central thickened meeting-point of lines, nerves, etc.; esp. in Physical Geography, an elevated point or region in which several mountain-chains meet.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > mountain > [noun] > range > meeting point
knot18..
1861 J. F. W. Herschel Physical Geogr. §144 The knot of Pasco, a great ganglion, as it were, of the system [of the Andes].
1865 Chambers's Encycl. VII. 436/1 The Knot [of Cuzco in Peru] comprises six minor mountain-chains, and has an area thrice larger than that of Switzerland.
9. Geometry. A unicursal curve in three-dimensional space, which, on being distorted in any way so as to bring it into a plane without passing one part through another, will always have nodes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > curve > [noun] > knot or knotfulness
knot1877
knotfulness1877
knottiness1877
knottedness1909
1877 Tait in Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. XXVIII. 145 I was led to the consideration of the forms of knots by Sir W. Thomson's Theory of Vortex Atoms.
1877 Tait in Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. XXVIII. 164 Thus this 4-fold knot, in each of its forms, can be deformed into its own perversion. In what follows all knots possessing this property will be called Amphicheiral.
1884 Kirkman in Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. XXXII. 281 Nothing general seems to have been written on knots of more than seven crossings.
II. Figurative applications of sense 1.† 12. A bond or obligation; a binding condition; a spell that binds. Obsolete.
10. figurative.
a. Something intricate, involved, or difficult to trace out or explain; a tangle or difficulty; a knotty point or problem. Gordian knot: see Gordian adj. 1. to tie (a person) (up) in(to) knots (or a knot): to confuse or nonplus (someone).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > that which is difficult > a difficult problem
knotc1000
a bone to pick (also gnaw)c1450
dark, hard sentence1535
nut1540
Gordian knot1579
nodus1728
teaser1759
stumper1807
Chinese puzzlec1815
facer1828
sticker1849
grueller1856
stumbler1863
twister1879
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] > knotty point, crux
knotc1000
the milk in the coconut1840
crux1852
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > act of perplexing > perplex, nonplus [phrase]
to bring (drive, or put) to one's wit's end1377
to cast (also throw) a mist before a person's eyes?a1475
to set (also run) on ground1600
to make butter and cheese of1642
to put to the gaze1646
philogrobolized in one's brains1653
to strike all of (on) a heap1711
to blow, cast, throw stour in one's eyes1823
knot1860
to give (one) furiously to think1910
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 386 get her is oðer cnotta ealswa earfoðe, þæt is, ‘Nan man ne astihð to heofenum, buton se ðe of heofenum astah’.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 1157 Ich habbe uncnut summe of þeos cnotti cnotten.
c1400 Rom. Rose 4698 Unto hym that love wole flee, The knotte may unclosed bee.
1638–48 G. Daniel Eclog. iii. 185 All the Subtle Knotts, which crabbed Heads Have twist.
1676 W. Temple Let. to Sir J. Williamson in Lett. in Wks. (1731) II. 397 This Knot is of those that must be cut through, and cannot be untied.
1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 520 Knots worthy of solution, which alone A Deity could solve.
1860 Baily's Monthly Mag. Aug. 368 Never before..were bowlers or fielders so ‘tied up in a knot’.
1876 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest V. xxvii. 719 The death of John cut the knot.
1876 T. Hardy Hand of Ethelberta I. xx. 212 'Tis one of the greatest knots in service—the smoke question.
1888 A. G. Steel in A. G. Steel & R. H. Lyttelton Cricket (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) iii. 167 The team was beginning to get tied up into a knot.
1957 D. Robins Noble One (1960) xx. 191 He is tied up in knots. He's fighting himself as well as me.
1974 I. Murdoch Sacred & Profane Love Machine 154 I could tie you into such knots, but I won't bother... You won't tell me the truth even now.
b. The central or main point of something intricate, involved, or difficult; the main point in a problem; the complication in the plot of a tale or drama; that in which the difficulty of anything centres.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > a difficulty > point of greatest difficulty
knotc1386
one's (or the) last (or utter) shifta1604
hump1914
crunch1970
c1386 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 393 The knotte why þat euery tale is toold If it be taried til that lust be coold..The sauour passeth euer lenger the moore.
c1418 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 243 He that can be Cristes clerc, And knowe the knottes of his crede.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie K 111 The knotte and principall point of the matter.
1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais 1st Bk. Wks. xiii. 63 By and by shall you..know the whole mysterie and knot of the matter.
1881 W. E. Gladstone Speech 7 Apr. The small holdings..the very knot of the difficulty not yet overcome.
11.
a. Something that forms or maintains a union of any kind; a tie, bond, link.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > a bond, tie, or fastening > [noun]
knitting13..
knot1393
ligaturec1400
embracer1548
attacha1586
ligation1598
ligament1599
writh1650
vinculum1678
alligature1755
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xviii. 127 [Holy Church is] Charite,..Lyf, and loue, and leaute, in o by-leyue and lawe, And loue a knotte of leaute, and of leel by-leyue.
a1500 (a1475) G. Ashby Dicta Philosophorum l. 1142 in Poems (1899) 94 Thre thinges be in a right simpul knot; First goode counseil in hym that is not herde [etc.].
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. eviiiv And therfore, it is called of saynt Poule: the knotte of perfection.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 118 I remembyr the knot betwyx the body & the soule.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1576/2 Ingratitude..and treason..linked togither with manie knots of other shamefull sinnes.
1692 tr. C. de Saint-Évremond Misc. Ess. 362 Policy had not as yet united Men by the Knots of a reasonable Society.
1701 N. Rowe Ambitious Step-mother i. i To draw The Knot, which holds our common Interest, closer.
b. spec. The tie or bond of wedlock; the marriage or wedding knot.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > wedding or nuptials > marriage vows or bonds > [noun] > marriage or wedding bond
knota1225
benda1250
spousing bandc1275
God's banda1425
marriage bond1595
marriage knot1595
marriage noosec1600
noosec1600
marriage tie1664
bridal knot1679
marriage chain1679
the shackles1780
wedding-knot1902
a1225 Leg. Kath. 1525 Swa wit beoð ifestnet & iteiet in an, & swa þe cnotte is icnut bituhhen unc tweien.
c1230 Hali Meid. 33 Beo þe cnot icnute anes of wedlac.
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. ii. 24 Goe tell the Countie..For I will haue this knot knit vp to morrow. View more context for this quotation
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 94 But the Cazy..can loose the Knot when they plead a Divorce.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) (at cited word) ‘To tie a knot wi the tongue, at yan cannot louze wi yan's teeth’, i.e. to get married.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > moral or legal constraint > [noun] > bond of duty
benda1250
banda1400
knota1500
tie1619
tial1623
confinement1656
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. vii. 107 Shall I now syng you a fytt With my mynstrelsy. Loke ye do it well in wrytt, And theron a knot knytt, For it is prophecy.
1534 T. More Treat. Passion in Wks. 1286/1 All these supernaturall giftes he gaue him with the knot of thys condicion, that yf hee brake hys commaundement, then shuld he leese them al.
a1627 T. Middleton Witch (1945) i. ii. 355 Knitt with theis Charmed, and retentive Knotss, Neither the Man begetts, nor Woman Breeds.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iv. xlvii. 384 This was the first Knot upon their Liberty.
1813 W. Scott Bridal of Triermain Introd. viii. 11 Of the dread knot a wizard tied, In punishment of maiden's pride.
III. transferred. A hard or firm mass such as is formed by a knot tied in a string, etc.
13. A hard lump in an animal body, either in a softer tissue, or on a smooth surface; a swelling or protuberance in a muscle, nerve, gland, etc.; a knob or enlargement in a bone; a tumour, ganglion, wart, pimple, or the like; the lump that seems to gather in the throat in strong emotion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > swelling > [noun] > a swelling or protuberance
ampereOE
kernelc1000
wenc1000
knot?c1225
swella1250
bulchc1300
bunchc1325
bolninga1340
botcha1387
bouge1398
nodusa1400
oedemaa1400
wax-kernel14..
knobc1405
nodule?a1425
more?c1425
bunnyc1440
papa1450
knurc1460
waxing kernel?c1460
lump?a1500
waxen-kernel1500
bump1533
puff1538
tumour?1541
swelling1542
elevation1543
enlarging1562
knub1563
pimple1582
ganglion1583
button1584
phyma1585
emphysema?1587
flesh-pimple1587
oedem?a1591
burgeon1597
wartle1598
hurtle1599
pough1601
wart1603
extumescence1611
hulch1611
peppernel1613
affusion1615
extumescency1684
jog1715
knibloch1780
tumefaction1802
hunch1803
income1808
intumescence1822
gibber1853
tumescence1859
whetstone1886
tumidity1897
Osler's node1920
the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part > knob > a knobble or knot
knot?c1225
nodosity?a1425
knobble?a1450
knurl1608
nubble1776
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > manifestation of emotion > [noun] > physical feeling resulting from emotion > tightness in throat
bur1393
knot1859
a lump in one's throat1863
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 1 Þe an riwleð þe heorte & makeð efne & smeðe wið vte cnoste & dolke of þoncg inwið.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1334 Þen brek þay þe bale, þe boueleȝ out token, Lystily for laucyng þe lere of þe knot.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 280/2 Knotte yn the fleshe, vndyr the skynne, glandula.
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 2514 Strecching forth his fyngirs, in siȝt,..Without knot or knor, or eny signe of goute.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. L.vj Thei found his handes hard and ful of hard knottes.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida v. iii. 33 Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong. View more context for this quotation
1688 London Gaz. No. 2351/4 A Sorrel Horse,..a dry knot on the near Leg behind.
1718 N. Rowe tr. Lucan Pharsalia Notes 32 The Knots of Love. These are little Excrescences of Flesh upon the Forehead of Foals.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth (1776) III. 62 They [the horns of the ibex] are bent backward, full of knots; and it is generally asserted that there is a knot added every year.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Elaine in Idylls of King 185 The Queen, who sat With lips severely placid, felt the knot Climb in her throat.
14. † b. to seek (search for, look for, find) a knot or knots in a rush or bulrush (Latin nodum in scirpo quærere), to seek or make difficulties where there are none; also, to seek a knot in a ring. Obsolete.
a. A thickened part or protuberance in the tissue of a plant; an excrescence on a stem, branch, or root; a node on a stem, esp. when of swollen form, as the joints in grasses; the hard mass formed in a trunk at the insertion of a branch or round the place of insertion of an abortive or dead branch, causing a rounded cross-grained piece in a board, which is apt to fall out, and leave a knot-hole. Also, a bud; in (the) knot, in bud, budding. plural, a disease which attacks plum and cherry trees (see quot. 1845).
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part defined by form or function > protuberance or lump > [noun]
node1391
knot1398
burble1555
tubercle1597
hump1709
pustule1756
wart1793
papula1795
nodule1796
papule1821
papilla1832
grain1836
wartlet1856
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > wood > [noun] > knot
knara1382
warrec1407
knob1440
knot?1523
knur1542
pin1545
knag1555
snar1611
bur-knot1618
bur1725
gnarl1824
burl1885
snarla1891
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [noun] > knot
knot?1523
the world > plants > part of plant > bud > [noun]
burgeoninga1340
bud1398
burging1398
burgeona1400
tendron14..
buttona1425
pumple1523
oillet1574
dodkin1578
pimple1582
eyelet1600
knot1601
eye1618
budleta1864
button bud1869
break1933
the world > plants > part of plant > bud > [adjective] > budding or having buds
gemmedc1420
embudded1523
budded1552
pullulant1558
budding1561
buddy1598
knotted1626
pullulating1666
in (the) knota1670
proliferous1674
prolified1866
proligerous1890
the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > associated with particular type of plant > trees
wind-shake1545
file1600
joint-ache1601
wind-shock1664
measles1674
hidebound1678
carcinoma1832
knot1845
cup-defect1875
cup-shake1875
beech disease1905
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xvii. i. lf. 105 b/1 Euerich tree herbe and gras haþ a rote: and in euerich rote manye maner knottes and stringes.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xvii. lxxiii. lf. 207/2.
c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 118 He may not breke a knotte of a straw wiþ hise teeþ.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xliv Apple trees that haue knottes in the bowes.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xv Crofote..hath many knottes towarde the rote.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xxiii. vi. 165 If any person..gather one of these tender buds or knots [of the pomegranate] with two fingers onely.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 310 Blunt wedges riue hard knots . View more context for this quotation
a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 88 The Citron Tree..bore some ripe ones [sc. fruits], and some sour ones, some in the Knot, and some in the Blossom altogether.
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vi. Explan. Terms 108 In Deal Boards, those Boughs, or branches are Knots.
1787 G. Winter New Syst. Husbandry 51 Couch and some other weeds vegetate at every joint or knot.
1796 C. Marshall Introd. Knowl. & Pract. Gardening ii. 32 The flowers of many proceed from a bud, or knot.
1845 A. J. Downing Fruits & Fruit Trees Amer. xx. 270 The knots is a disease attacking bark and wood..[with] the appearance of large, irregular black lumps, with a hard, cracked, uneven surface, quite dry within.
1901 N.E.D. at Knot Mod. dial. The may is in knot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > present difficulties [verb (intransitive)] > make difficulties > seek difficulties where there are none
to seek (search for, look for, find) a knot or knots in a rush or bulrush1340
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 253 Þet zekþ þet uel ine þe aye oþer þane knotte ine þe resse.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1315/2 To streine gnattes, to stumble at strawes, and to seke knottes in rushes.
a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) iii. sig. Fv They seeke a knot in a ring, that would wrong My maister or his seruants in this Court.
1625 J. Hart Anat. Urines i. iii. 36 To enquire after [this], were to search for a knot in a rush.
1712 W. Oldisworth tr. R. Bentley Note in Horace Odes II. i. iv. 7/2 The Grammarians therefore do in this place look for a Knot in a Bull-rush.
a1734 R. North Examen (1740) iii. vii. §43 533 Those, that sought Knots in Bulrushes to obstruct the King's Affairs in Parliament.
15. A knob or embossed ornamentation in carved or hammered work; a stud employed as an ornament or for fastening; a boss; also, the carved foliage on the capital of a column (Parker Gloss. Archit. 1875). friar's knots: see friar knots n. at friar n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > decoration specifically in relief > [noun] > bosses and knobs
pommel1345
knop1362
bossa1382
knotc1394
stooth1397
stud1420
bullion1463
torea1572
bossing1583
knurl1608
button1669
tachette1688
knosp1808
nail head1836
pellet1842
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 161 Þe pileres weren..queynteli i-coruen wiþ curiouse knottes.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 577 Greueȝ, With polayneȝ piched þer-to, policed ful clene, Aboute his kneȝ knaged wyth knoteȝ [MS reads knotez] of golde.
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy ii. xi Eche caruer and curious ioyner To make knottes w' many a queynt floure.
1534 in E. Peacock Eng. Church Furnit. (1866) 191 Item a shaft of siluer for the same crosse with a roll gilte & iij knottes gilte of the whiche knottes euery one hath vj roses enamelid with asure.
1664 in H. Bradshaw & C. Wordsworth Lincoln Stat. (1897) 645 Vehemently suspected to haue secretly purloyned..much of the lead and soulder..and many of the ould window knotts; and to haue sould them to diuerse pewterers.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 185 These Knots are small square pieces of Box-wood.
1815 T. Rickman in J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 163 A boss or knot at the centre intersections.
1849 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. ii. 247/1 Knot or Knob, a boss; a round bunch of leaves or flowers, or other ornament of a similar kind.
16. A hill or eminence of moderate height; esp. a rocky hill or summit. Frequent in proper names of hills in the north-west of England. Cf. knob n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill > [noun]
cloudc893
downOE
hillc1000
penOE
holmc1275
woldc1275
clotc1325
banka1393
knotc1400
nipc1400
rist1577
kop1835
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1431 In a knot, bi a clyffe at þe kerre syde, Þer as þe rogh rocher vn-rydely watȝ fallen.
1594 J. Norden Speculi Brit. Pars: Essex (1840) 11 Sundrie valleis ther are, which of necessitie require hills; but they are but small knottes,..makinge a difference betwene the valley and the higher grounde.
1785 W. Hutton Bran New Wark Prol. 10 Whilst I grovel amongst these knots and barrows.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Knot, a rocky summit, as Bolland knot, Nursaw knot.
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 25 June 6/1 The loyal bonfires were descried by the watchers on Arnside Knott... Some mischievous boys had set light to the gorse and undergrowth at the foot of the knott.
17. A mass formed by the aggregation and cohesion of particles; esp. one that has formed as a hard kernel in the surrounding softer material; a lump, clot, concretion.Glass-making: in crown glass, = knob n. 1, bull's-eye n. 1 ( Dict. Archit. 1863–9); in flint glass, a defect caused by the presence of foreign matter. Geology: a concretion of foreign matter in some schistose rocks. (Quot. 1625 at sense 14b is doubtful.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > mass formed by collection of particles > dense or compact
clota1000
massa1382
gobbetc1384
clustera1387
lumpa1400
wedge1577
loaf1598
knot1631
clumper1673
clue1674
clump1699
lob1825
wodge1847
nugget1851
density1858
1631 B. Jonson Staple of Newes ii. iii. 16 in Wks. II I haue lost two stone Of suet..posting hither, You might haue followed me like a watering pot, And seene the knots I made along the street.
1700 Moxon's Mech. Exercises: Bricklayers-wks. 13 It must be extreamly beaten, which will break all the Knots of Lime.
a1728 J. Woodward Attempt Nat. Hist. Fossils Eng. (1729) i. 186 A Knot of Black-Lead, that, happening to be form'd within the Verge of another, has a Sinus.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 135 Insects of mysterious birth..Doubtless brought by moisture forth, Hid in knots of spittle white.
1838 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 7 The straining of the stuff [pulp], and thereby keeping out of the paper all the knots and hard substances.
18. A small group, cluster, band or company of persons or things (gathered together in one place, or associated in any way). of a knot, in union or combination, associated together.
a. Of persons.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > cluster
lumpc1380
clustera1400
knotc1400
community?1541
plump1553
clustering1576
clumpa1586
grove1667
skein1709
snuggle1901
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 787 Sant Iohan hem syȝ al in a knot, On þe hyl of Syon.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxvi All they came together in one knot to the citie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. i. 118 So often shall the knot of vs be call'd, The Men that gaue their Country liberty. View more context for this quotation
1639 W. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 278 My Lord Sey and my Lord Brooke, and some of that knott.
1662 S. Pepys Diary 16 Dec. (1970) III. 284 All do conclude Mr. Coventry and Pett and me to be of a knot.
1704 J. Swift Disc. Mech. Operat. Spirit i, in Tale of Tub 297 It is usual for a Knot of Irish, Men and Women, to..grow visionary.., by Influence of..Tobacco.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vii. 225 There was scarcely a market town in England without at least a knot of separatists.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People viii. §9. 557 Within the House..a vigorous knot of politicians was resolved to prolong its existence.
b. Of things.
ΚΠ
1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 165 The milken wary [sic] in the skie..is a meeting or knot of a number of small starres.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 6 We were close under St. Iago, another Island of the same Knot.
1825 W. Scott Talisman ii, in Tales Crusaders III. 25 They were now arrived at the knot of palm-trees.
a1853 F. W. Robertson Lect. (1858) ii. 84 You will have..not an institution, but a knot of clubs.
1875 W. D. Whitney Life & Growth Lang. xii. 263 A host of lesser knots of idioms.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
knot-bed n.
ΚΠ
1665–76 J. Rea Flora (ed. 2) 232 Directions for the..making of a Knot-bed.
knot-garden n. See sense 7.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > [noun] > other types of garden
grounda1500
knot-garden1519
back-garden1535
summer garden1589
spring garden1612
spring gardena1625
water gardena1626
walled gardena1631
wildernessa1644
window garden1649
botanic garden1662
Hanging Gardens1705
winter garden1736
cottage garden1765
Vauxhall1770
English garden1771
wall garden1780
chinampa1787
moat garden1826
gardenesque1832
sunk garden1835
roof garden1844
weedery1847
wild garden1852
rootery1855
beer-garden1863
Japanese garden1863
bog-garden1883
Italian garden1883
community garden1884
sink garden1894
trough garden1935
sand garden1936
Zen garden1937
hydroponicum1938
tub garden1974
rain garden1994
1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xx. f. 172 The knotte garden serueth for pleasure: the potte garden for profitte.
b.
knot-maker n.
ΚΠ
1888 Pall Mall Gaz. 26 Jan. 10/1 The trade of ‘knot-maker’, or ‘tier of cravats’, is not one of the least lucrative callings in Paris just now.
knot-tier n.
ΚΠ
1645 J. Milton Tetrachordon 14 This vers..is the great knot tier, which hath undon by tying, and by tangling, millions of guiltles consciences.
knot-tightener n.
c.
knot-free adj.
ΚΠ
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. Y8v The Manes shall be Of your horses, all knot-free.
knot-green adj.
ΚΠ
a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husb. (E.D.S.) (1880) 208 Red-straw wheat must be gathered knot-green, that is, whilst the knots in the straw are green.
knot-haired adj.
ΚΠ
1659 T. Pecke Parnassi Puerperium 125 Knot-hair'd Sicambrians And Natures frisled Æthiopians.
knot-like adj.
ΚΠ
1776–96 W. Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 347 Leaves with knot-like joints.
C2.
knot-catcher n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > manufacture of man-made thread > equipment for
spinneret1894
spinner1904
godet1917
knot-catcher1927
1927 T. Woodhouse Artificial Silk: Manuf. & Uses 100 The threads or yarn from the cone cheeses are first led up through coils in wires termed knot catchers.
knot-gall n. a species of oak-gall produced by the cynipid Andricus noduli.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > gall or abnormal growth > on particular plants
oak-apple1440
bedeguar1578
sponge1608
oak-berry1626
oak nut1626
Aleppo gall1698
grape-gall1753
rose gall1753
oak galla1774
ear cockle1777
honeysuckle apple1818
sage-apple1832
robin's pincushion1835
oak spangle1836
robin's cushion1837
oak-wart1840
spangle1842
shick-shack1847
spangle-gall1864
tomato gall1869
Robin redbreast's cushion1878
knopper1879
trumpet-gall1879
spongiole1884
knot-gall1894
1894 C. R. Straton tr. Adler Alternating Generations 34 The knot gall is found in June on Q[uercus] pedunculata, Q. sessiliflora, and Q. pubescens.
1908 E. T. Connold Brit. Oak Galls 65 The Knot Gall.
knot-head n. North American a stupid person (see also quot. 1940); also, a stupid horse.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]
asseOE
sotc1000
beastc1225
long-ear?a1300
stock1303
buzzard1377
mis-feelinga1382
dasarta1400
stonea1400
dasiberd14..
dottlec1400
doddypoll1401
dastardc1440
dotterel1440
dullardc1440
wantwit1449
jobardc1475
nollc1475
assheada1500
mulea1500
dull-pate15..
peak1509
dulbert?a1513
doddy-patec1525
noddypolla1529
hammer-head1532
dull-head?1534
capon1542
dolt1543
blockhead1549
cod's head1549
mome1550
grout-head1551
gander1553
skit-brains?1553
blocka1556
calfa1556
tomfool1565
dunce1567
druggard1569
cobble1570
dummel1570
Essex calf1573
jolthead1573
hardhead1576
beetle-head1577
dor-head1577
groutnoll1578
grosshead1580
thickskin1582
noddyship?1589
jobbernowl1592
beetle-brain1593
Dorbel1593
oatmeal-groat1594
loggerhead1595
block-pate1598
cittern-head1598
noddypoop1598
dorbellist1599
numps1599
dor1601
stump1602
ram-head1605
look-like-a-goose1606
ruff1606
clod1607
turf1607
asinego1609
clot-poll1609
doddiea1611
druggle1611
duncecomb1612
ox-head1613
clod-polla1616
dulman1615
jolterhead1620
bullhead1624
dunderwhelpa1625
dunderhead1630
macaroona1631
clod-patea1635
clota1637
dildo1638
clot-pate1640
stupid1640
clod-head1644
stub1644
simpletonian1652
bottle-head1654
Bœotiana1657
vappe1657
lackwit1668
cudden1673
plant-animal1673
dolt-head1679
cabbage head1682
put1688
a piece of wood1691
ouphe1694
dunderpate1697
numbskull1697
leather-head1699
nocky1699
Tom Cony1699
mopus1700
bluff-head1703
clod skull1707
dunny1709
dowf1722
stupe1722
gamphrel1729
gobbin?1746
duncehead1749
half-wit1755
thick-skull1755
jackass1756
woollen-head1756
numbhead1757
beef-head1775
granny1776
stupid-head1792
stunpolla1794
timber-head1794
wether heada1796
dummy1796
noghead1800
staumrel1802
muttonhead1803
num1807
dummkopf1809
tumphya1813
cod's head and shoulders1820
stoopid1823
thick-head1824
gype1825
stob1825
stookiea1828
woodenhead1831
ning-nong1832
log-head1834
fat-head1835
dunderheadism1836
turnip1837
mudhead1838
donkey1840
stupex1843
cabbage1844
morepork1845
lubber-head1847
slowpoke1847
stupiditarian1850
pudding-head1851
cod's head and shoulders1852
putty head1853
moke1855
mullet-head1855
pothead1855
mug1857
thick1857
boodle1862
meathead1863
missing link1863
half-baked1866
lunk1867
turnip-head1869
rummy1872
pumpkin-head1876
tattie1879
chump1883
dully1883
cretin1884
lunkhead1884
mopstick1886
dumbhead1887
peanut head1891
pie-face1891
doughbakea1895
butt-head1896
pinhead1896
cheesehead1900
nyamps1900
box head1902
bonehead1903
chickenhead1903
thickwit1904
cluck1906
boob1907
John1908
mooch1910
nitwit1910
dikkop1913
goop1914
goofus1916
rumdum1916
bone dome1917
moron1917
oik1917
jabroni1919
dumb-bell1920
knob1920
goon1921
dimwit1922
ivory dome1923
stone jug1923
dingleberry1924
gimp1924
bird brain1926
jughead1926
cloth-head1927
dumb1928
gazook1928
mouldwarp1928
ding-dong1929
stupido1929
mook1930
sparrow-brain1930
knobhead1931
dip1932
drip1932
epsilon1932
bohunkus1933
Nimrod1933
dumbass1934
zombie1936
pea-brain1938
knot-head1940
schlump1941
jarhead1942
Joe Soap1943
knuckle-head1944
nong1944
lame-brain1945
gobshite1946
rock-head1947
potato head1948
jerko1949
turkey1951
momo1953
poop-head1955
a right one1958
bam1959
nong-nong1959
dickhead1960
dumbo1960
Herbert1960
lamer1961
bampot1962
dipshit1963
bamstick1965
doofus1965
dick1966
pillock1967
zipperhead1967
dipstick1968
thickie1968
poephol1969
yo-yo1970
doof1971
cockhead1972
nully1973
thicko1976
wazzock1976
motorhead1979
mouth-breather1979
no-brainer1979
jerkwad1980
woodentop1981
dickwad1983
dough ball1983
dickweed1984
bawheid1985
numpty1985
jerkweed1988
dick-sucker1989
knob-end1989
Muppet1989
dingus1997
dicksack1999
eight ball-
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > temperament > [noun] > stubborn or stupid
sulk1883
dog1893
jughead1936
knot-head1940
1940 Amer. Speech 15 447/2 Knot head, low intelligence.
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Knothead, a dull-witted blunderer.
1961 R. P. Hobson Rancher takes Wife i. 21 Harold called in a loud voice to the horse. ‘Step up there, you old knothead.’
1962 A. Fry Ranch on Cariboo xv. 160 I'd the repertoire of a mule skinner, developed behind a wide variety of knothead horses.
1972 J. Aiken Butterfly Picnic ix. 163 Why hadn't he said he was going to, the silly knothead?
knot-hole n. (a) a hole in a board, etc., caused by the falling out of a knot; (b) the hollow formed in the trunk of a tree, by the decay of a branch; (c) a hole formed by the excavation of clay.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > knot-hole
knot-hole1726
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > stem, trunk, or bole > hollow in
knot-hole1903
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > [noun] > clay > hole formed by excavation of clay
knot-hole1964
1726 Four Years Voy. Capt. G. Roberts 284 I found one great Leak, which was a Knot Hole.
1889 S. Baring-Gould Arminell (1890) I. i. 12 Fanny..detected an eye inspecting her through a knot-hole, laughed, and then turned crimson.
1903 Westm. Gaz. 31 Dec. 3/2 The little coons..climbed up to the knot-hole, and scrambled down inside.
1964 E. Huxley Back Street New Worlds x. 98 There are craters..called knot-holes, and from them clay has been scooped and loaded into tub-like steel wagons to proceed..to the kilns.
1967 M. Chandler Ceramics in Mod. World i. 29 The underlying Lower Oxford clay..is taken from the claypit or ‘knot-hole’ by a mechanical excavator.
knot-horn n. = knot-horn moth n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Phycitidae > member of genus Phycita (knot-horn)
knot-horn moth1894
knot-horn1899
1899 D. Sharp in Cambr. Nat. Hist. VI. 424 The males frequently have the basal-joint of the antennæ swollen; hence the term ‘Knot-horns’ applied by collectors to these moths.
knot-horn moth n. a moth of the genus Phycita.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Phycitidae > member of genus Phycita (knot-horn)
knot-horn moth1894
knot-horn1899
1894 Spectator 18 Aug. 216/1 The various species of knot-horn moths (Phycidæ).
knot-ribbon n. ribbon used in making bows or knots.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [noun] > ribbon > specific
corsec1440
railyet1561
flippet1640
love ribbon1666
Petersham1834
knot-ribbon1851
padou1858
pad1867
baby ribbon1883
1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. IV. 1145 Ribbon for military decorations. Knot ribbon.
knot-stitch n. a stitch by which ornamental knots are made.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > embroidery or ornamental sewing > stitch > other
chain-stitch1598
French knot1623
picot1623
petty-point1632
tent-stitch1639
brede-stitch1640
herringbone stitch1659
satin stitch1664
feather-stitch1835
Gobelin stitch1838
crowfoot1839
seedingc1840
German stitch1842
petit point1842
long stitch1849
looped stitch1851
hem-stitch1853
loop-stitch1853
faggot stitch1854
spider-wheel1868
dot stitch1869
picot stitch1869
slip-stitch1872
coral-stitch1873
stem stitch1873
rope stitch1875
Vienna cross stitch1876
witch stitch1876
pin stitch1878
seed stitch1879
cushion-stitch1880
Japanese stitch1880
darning-stitch1881
Kensington stitch1881
knot-stitch1881
bullion knot1882
cable pattern1882
Italian stitch1882
lattice-stitch1882
queen stitch1882
rice stitch1882
shadow-stitch1882
ship-ladder1882
spider-stitch1882
stem1882
Vandyke stitch1882
warp-stitch1882
wheel-stitch1882
basket-stitch1883
outline stitch1885
pointing1888
bullion stitchc1890
cable-stitchc1890
oriental stitchc1890
Turkish stitchc1890
Romanian stitch1894
shell-stitch1895
saddle stitch1899
magic stitch1900
plumage-stitch1900
saddle stitching1902
German knot stitch1903
trellis1912
padding stitch1913
straight stitch1918
Hungarian stitch1921
trellis stitch1921
lazy daisy1923
diamond stitchc1926
darning1930
faggot filling stitch1934
fly stitch1934
magic chain stitch1934
glove stitch1964
pad stitch1964
1881 C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork Mod. Homes i. 84 Beginning with the hemstitch of our grandmothers, we may add..lace stitches, herring-bone, buttonhole..darning and knot stitch.
1964 McCall's Sewing in Colour ii. 30/1 Knot-stitch, stitch used to secure thread at beginning and end of stitching.
knot-wood n. wood that is full of knots; esp. pine.
knot-writing n. a mnemonic aid consisting of strings in which a number of knots are made.
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the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > improvement of memory, mnemonics > [noun] > memory aid
prompt1707
technical verse1728
mnemonic1842
mnemonicon1858
knot-writing1896
memory drug1965
mnemotechnic1991
1896 A. J. Butler tr. F. Ratzel Hist. Mankind I. 344 In West Australia,..a network of reed serves for a messenger's credentials,—a reminiscence of the once more widely-developed knot-writing.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
knotn.2
/nɒt/, U.S. /nɑt/ A bird of the Snipe family ( Tringa canutus), also called Red-breasted Sandpiper; it breeds within the Arctic Circle, but is common on the British coasts during the late summer and autumn.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Scolopacidae (snipes, etc.) > [noun] > genus Calidris > calidris canutus (knot)
knot1452
gnat1616
marl1699
sea-snipe1767
greyback1813
red-breasted sandpiper1813
grey plover1885
1422 in J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Agric. & Prices (modernized text) III. 136/2. ]
1452 Bill of fare in A. Wood Hist. Univ. Oxf. 26 3rd Table. Plover, Knottys, Styntis, Quayles.
1572 J. Jones Benefit Bathes of Buckstones f. 10 Rayle, Curlyew, Cnotwyppe [= Cnot, Wyppe], Wodcocke, Snype, or any other clouen footed fowles.
1607 W. Camden Brit. (rev. ed.) 408 Knotts, i. Canuti aues, vt opinor, e Dania enim aduolare creduntur.
1622 M. Drayton 2nd Pt. Poly-olbion xxv. 112 The Knot, that called was Canutus Bird of old, Of that great King of Danes, his name that still doth hold.
1769 Ann. Reg. 1768 i. 170 The bill of fare at the king of Denmark's table was as follows:..Ortolans, Pheasants, Notts.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 28 The long legged plover, the knot and the turnstone, are rather the guests than the natives of this island.
1863 C. A. Johns Home Walks 21 Mixed with them in the same flock we repeatedly saw Sanderlings, purple Sandpipers and Knots.
1881 Spectator 27 Aug. 1108 In the Nares Arctic Expedition Capt. Fielden discovered the breeding ground of the sanderling and the knot.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
knotv.
/nɒt/, U.S. /nɑt/ 1.
a. transitive. To tie in a knot; to form a knot or knots in; to do up, fasten, or secure with a knot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > fasten or secure with a knot
knota1547
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > fasten or secure with a knot > tie (a knot) (in)
knitc1000
plight1589
casta1605
inknot1611
binda1616
knot1832
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) iv. sig. Ei Her quyuer hung behinde her back, her tresse Knotted in gold.
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry IV clxiv, in Poems (1878) IV. 42 Perhaps those Elves Abuse them rather,..And Knot their Hearts in their owne Handkercheife.
a1719 J. Addison Dialogues Medals in Wks. (1721) I. ii. 515 No costly fillets knot her hair behind.
1832 F. Marryat Newton Forster III. x. 173 The seamen were employed in knotting the rigging.
1833 J. Rennie Alphabet Sci. Angling 65 Begin with three hairs, put them level at top and knot them.
1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Simeon Stylites in Poems (new ed.) II. 56 I wore The rope..Twisted as tight as I could knot the noose.
1894 H. Caine Manxman v. v. 295 A cardboard box, tied about with a string, which was knotted in a peculiar way.
b. intransitive. To form a knot or knots; to be or become tied or twisted into a knot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (intransitive)] > form a knot
knot1611
node1611
1611 T. Heywood Golden Age i. sig. C2 Henceforth my vnkem'd lockes shall knot in curles.
2.
a. intransitive. To make or knit knots for fringes; to do the fancy work called knotting n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of ornamental textiles or trimmings > manufacture ornamental textiles or trimmings [verb (intransitive)] > knot or tat
knota1701
tat1882
a1701 C. Sedley Hears not my Phillis (song) i Phillis..Sat and knotted all the while.
1713 R. Steele Guardian No. 41. ⁋4 Lady Char—te is taken knotting in Saint James's chapel during divine service.
1824 S. E. Ferrier Inheritance I. xv. 160 Miss P. gabbled and knotted.
1869 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings I. 58 Caroline sat during these recitals, sometimes yawning, sometimes smiling, but always knotting.
b. transitive. To make or form by this art.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of ornamental textiles or trimmings > manufacture ornamental textiles or trimmings [verb (transitive)] > knot or tat
knot1750
tat1905
tat1910
1750 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) II. 606 Till I have finished a plain fringe I am knotting.
1781 Mrs. Boscawen in M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1862) 2nd Ser. III. 64 You would contrive to knot them some quipos of remembrance!
3. figurative.a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) cvi. 92 Make playn thyn hert that it be not knotted With hope or dred.† b. intransitive. Of plants: To form knots or nodes; to bud; to form a close head, as clover; to begin to develop fruit; to ‘set’ (= knit v. 5c). Obsolete.
a. transitive. To form protuberances, bosses, or knobs on or in; to make knotty; to emboss; to knit (the brows).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > decoration specifically in relief > decorate specifically in relief [verb (transitive)] > bosses and knobs
knopc1400
stoothe1483
knot1509
beboss1576
boss1583
the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > make protuberant [verb (transitive)] > cover with protuberances > furnish with knobs
knot1509
knob1549
knopple1870
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > growth or excrescence > develop growth or excrescence [verb (transitive)]
knot1697
to put out1737
to put forth1740
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > forehead > [verb (transitive)] > contract or relax
knitc1405
strain1556
unknit1566
unpleat1572
unfret1594
unplaitc1595
smooth1597
uncontract1628
plait1642
to roll into ——1656
unbend1718
gather1790
knot1844
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxxvii. 195 The gate, Whiche all of sylver was knotted proprely.
1697 R. Pierce Bath Mem. ii. viii. 372 The Gout had knotted all his Joynts, both of Toes and Fingers.
1844 E. B. Barrett Drama of Exile in Poems I. 35 This Eve..Knots her fair eyebrows in so hard a knot.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend I. ii. xiv. 296 Bradley Headstone knotted his brows.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > bud > [verb (intransitive)]
gemc1150
bud1398
buttona1500
embud1603
knot1611
about1725
gemmate1846
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Nouer,..also, to knot (as a tree thats in growing).
1651 Bp. J. Taylor XXVIII Serm. vi. 78 You must..let it blossom and knot, and grow and ripen.
1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner 153 The false flowers which will never knot into fruit are to be nipped off.
1660 R. Sharrock Hist. Propagation & Improvem. Veg. 20 The time of cutting [clover] will be knowne, by observing when it begins to knot.
4. † b. intransitive. To unite or gather together in a knot; to assemble, congregate; to form a compact mass, to concrete. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To combine or unite firmly or intricately; to associate intimately; to entangle, complicate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > gather together [verb (transitive)] > cluster
cluster1398
clamberc1400
knot1611
constellate1643
galaxy1654
clump1824
satellize1887
1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. xvi. 657/1 There were three-score thousand of them rebelliously knotted together.
1624 F. Bacon Considerations War with Spain in Wks. (1879) I. 536/1 The party of the papists in England are become more knotted, both in dependence towards Spain, and amongst themselves.
1860 N. Hawthorne Marble Faun I. xix. 218 The deed knots us together for time and eternity, like the coil of a serpent.
1898 G. Meredith Odes French Hist. 29 Thy [armies] clash, they are knotted; and now 'tis the deed of the axe on the log.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > gather together [verb (intransitive)] > collect in one mass or body > accumulate > agglomerate or conglomerate
knota1616
agglomerate1632
conglomerate1642
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iv. ii. 64 A Cesterne, for foule Toades To knot and gender in. View more context for this quotation
1639 J. Saltmarsh Pract. Policie 289 A little Physicke will disperse a gathering Disease, which if it knot, hath more danger and difficulty.
1662 S. Pepys Diary 24 Aug. (1970) III. 178 A great many young people knotting together and crying out ‘porridge’.
5. technical.
a. To cover the knots in (wood) before painting (see knotting n. 4a).
b. To cover (metal, etc.) with knotting (sense 4b).
c. To remove knots from (cloth, etc.): cf. knotter n. 2, knotting n. 5.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1c1000
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