knobby

[nob-ee]

adjective

knobbier, knobbiest 

1. full of or covered with knobs.

   the knobby trunk of a tree.

2. shaped like a knob.

ˈknobby

/ ˈnɒbɪ /

adjective

1. having or covered with small knobs; knobbly

Other Word Forms

• knobbiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of knobby¹

First recorded in 1535–45; knob + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Celeriac — the knobby, subterranean root of the celery plant — makes an especially luxurious purée after a simmer in stock and dairy.

From Salon

Striding forward, his sturdy right hand clutches a knobby wooden walking stick, cut from a tree branch and stripped.

From Los Angeles Times

On a recent drive north of Sacramento, I spotted a row of knobby peaks that looked more like a children’s book illustration than real-life mountains.

From New York Times

The boy is tall and lanky, with knobby knees poking out of his shorts and messy dark brown hair.

From Literature

The tree has the look of an ancient thing — knobby and gnarled and thick, so thick and tall it appeared at times like several oaks stacked on top of one another.

From Los Angeles Times